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ROCKY MOONTAIN LIFE; 



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E'liRTLiNG Scenes and Perilous Advei^tures 



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THE FAR "WEST. 



RUFUS B. SAGE 



Dayton, Ohio: 
EDWARD CANBY. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I. 



Objectsof a proposed excursion. Primary plans and movements. A Di^eEsion. 
Rendezvous for Oregon emigrants and Santa Fe traders. Sensations on a 
first visit to the border Prairies. Frontier Indiana, 29 

CHAPTER 11. 

Preparations for leaving. Scenes at Camp. Things as they appeared. Simpli- 
city of mountaineers. Sleep in the open air. Character, habits, and costume 
of motmtaineers. Heterogeneous ingredients of Company. The command- 
ant En route. Comical exhibition and adventure with a Spanish compa- 
ny. Grouse. Elm Grove. A storm. Santa Fe traders. Indian battle. 34 

CHAPTER III. 

Tlie Pottowatomies. Crossing the Wakarousha. Adventure at the Springs. 
The Caw chief. Kansas river and Indians. Pleading for wldskey. Hick- 
ory timber. Prairie tea. Scenes at the N. Fork of Blue. Wild honey. 
Return party. Mountaineers in California, Adventure with a buffalo. In- 
dian atrocities. Liquor and tiie Fur Trade. Strict guard. High prices. 45 

CHAPTER IV. 

CSonntry from the frontiers to Big Blue ; its geological character, &c. Novel euro 
for fever and ague. Indian trails. Game. Large rabbits. Antelope, and 
their peculiarities. Beaver cuttings. Big Blue and its viciidty. Dangerouj 
country. Pawnee bravery. Night-alarm, (Prairies on fire.) Platte river. 
Predominant characteristics of the Grand Prairies, and theory explanative of 
of tb«»ir phenomenon. Something to laugl^ at. " Big Jim " and the ante- 
lope. 64 

CHAPTER V. 

Deierted camp. Big Jim's third attempt a a hunter. Buffilo and other particu 
lar«. Big Jim lying guard. Butch iring. Strange selections. Extraordi- 
nary eating, and excallence cf buffalo meat. Brady's Island. The muiv 
derer's fete. Substitute for wood. A storm. Game in camp. Strange 
tnfetuation. Tenacity of buffalo to life, and how to hunt them.^ Croa S, 
FWt of Platte. Big Jim's fourth adventura. M 

(7) 



yrSL ©ONTBNTS. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Asb creek. Pawnee and Sioux battle-ground. Bread-root. The Eagle's Nest 
Mad wolf. Number and variety of prairie wolves, — their sagacity. Mad 
bull. Maldng and curing meat. Big Jim still unfortunate. Johnson's creek. 
McFarlan's Castle. Deceptiveness of distances. Express from the Fort 
Brave Bear. Bull Tail. Talk with the Indians. Speech of Martocog* 
erehne. Reply. Tahtungah-sana's address. 75 

CHAPTER VIL 

The Chimney. Abet. Spur of the Rocky Mountains. Scott's BlufT. Roman- 
tic scenery. Mimic city. A pyramid. A monument. An elevated garden- 
Mountain sheep. An Eden. Death in camp. The wanderer's grave. 
Horse creek and gold. Goche's hole. Arrival at Fort Platte. Reraarkfl 
by the way. Prairie travel. l/ocality and description of the Fort. Indian 
lodges. Jligratory habits of moimtain and prairie tribes. Scenes at Fort 
Drunken Indians. Tragical event. Indian funeral. Speech of Etespa- 
huska on the death of his father. 90 

CHAPTER Vni. 

Coast clear, and Trade opened. More visitors. Smoking out the natives. Inoi* 
dent illustrative of Indian character. Expeditions for trade. Black Hills. 
RawMde. An Indian and a buffalo cha.se. Deep snow, extreme cold, and 
painful journey. L'eau-qui-court. Remarks. Lost. White river; its val- 
ley, fruits, and game. Biiilding site. The Devil's Tea-pot. Troubles with 
Indians. Theft and its punishment. Indian soldiers. Christmas extras. 
Outrageous conduct. Rascality of traders. " That Old Serpent." Indian 
superstition, religious tenets and practices. Notions upon general morality. 103 

CHAPTER IX. 

Dangers connected with the liquor tnide. DL'Bculty with Bull Eagle. Scenes 
of bloodshed and horror. Cheating in the fur trade. How the red man 
becomes tutored in vice. A chief's daughter offered in exchange for liquor. 
Indian mode of courtship and marriage. Squaws an article of traffic Di- 
vorce. Plurality of wives. 116 

CHAPTER X. 

•Rbtunga-egoniflka. High gaming. Weur-sena Warkpollo, a strange story. 
The Death Song, a tale of love. Me Heine-men. Extraordinary perform- 
ance of Tahtunga-mobellu. Wonderfu- feats of jugglery. 125 

CHAPTER XI. 

Food for horses. Squaws and their performances. Dogs and dog-meat R«- 
turn to Fort Starvation. Travel by guess. Death from drinking. Medi* 
A BuiaL littk Lodge and th« French trader. ▲ ipaMh 



eONTENTS. 



In connciL Journey to White river. High winds and snow Intense guf- 
feringa and painful results. I35 

CHAPTER XII. 

Another drunken spree. Horses devoured by wolves. An upset. A blowing up. 
Daring feat of wolves; A girl offered for liquor. Winter on the Platte. 
Boat building. Hunting expedition. Journey up tlie Platte, island camp. 
Narrow escape. Snow stonn. Warm Spring. Pass of the PiaiLe into the 
prairies. A valley. Bitter Cottonwood. Indian forts. Wild fruit. Roct- 
diggmg. Cherry tea and its usea. Geology of the 'country. Soils, grasses 
herbs, plants, and purity of atmosphere. Horse-shoe creek, a. j>auiher. 
Prairie dogs and their peculiarities. 143 

CHAPTER XIIL 

The Creek valley. The Platte as a mountain stream. Canon. Romantic pros- 
pect. Comical bear story. Perilous encounter with a wounded bull. Ge- 
ological remarks. Division of party. Safety of spring travel. La Bonte's 
creek. Remarks by the way. Service-berry. Deer Creek. General 
observations. Moccasin making. Box-elder. Bear killed. Excellence of 
its flesh. Different kinds of bears in Oregon and the mountains. The 
grizzly bear, his nature and habits. jgg 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Desperate encounter with a grizzly bear, and extraordinary instance of suffering. 
Close contest. A comical incident. Cross Platte. Canon camp. Sage 
trees. Mountain sheep, and all about them. Independence Rock ; why so 
called, and description of it. Devil's Gate. Landscape scenery. 159 

CHAPTER XV. 

Return route. Oregon trail from Independence Rock through the Soutli Pass. 
Cross the Sweet Water and Platte. Mountain Fowl. Journey up Medicme 
Bow. Dangerous country. A fight with the Sioux. Tlie " Carcague." 
A surprise. Viait to the Crow village. Number and character of the Crow 
nation. Selling a prisoner for tobacco Descripticm of I^ramie I'laina. 165 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Sibille's-hole. Novel bitters. Chug^vater. Gold. Curiosity. Affaii's at the 
Fort. Amusements. (Gambling among squaws, and games played. Squaw 
dres»3s, and riding fasluon. Items of interest to the curious, proving the in- 
tercourse of the ancient Romans with tlie people of this continent. 173 

OHAi^TER XVU. 

Singulai exhibition of natural affection. Embark for the Stales. Scarcity of 
proYudonB and consequent hardship and suflfering. Extraordinary daring of 



JL CSOKTENTV. 

woItos. Difficulties of navigation. Novel diet Fishing. 4. fish itoiy, 
and another to match it. A bull story. Hard aground and dismal situation. 
Extreme exposure. Cold, hungry, and wet. Again afloat Re-supply of 
provisions. Camp on fire. A picture of Platte navigation. Country north 
of river. Adventure with a bull. Indian benevolence. Summary of hard* 
ahipe and deprivations. Abandon voyage. 185 

CHAPTER XVm. 

Bunting excursion. Thirst more painfiil than hunger. G^eological observations. 
Mournful casualty. Sad scene of sepulture. Melancholy night. Voyage 
in an empty boat. Ruins of a Pawnee village at Cedar Bluflf. Plover 
creek. Cache Grove. Thousand Islands. Abandon boat. Exploring com- 
pany. A horrible situation. Agony to torment. Pawnee village. Exem- 
plary benevolence of an Indian chief. Miserable fourth of July. Four days* 
starvation. Arrival at Council Bluff. Proceed to Independence. 193 

CHAPTER XIX. 

The country Detween the Pawnee village and Bellevieu, and from that to Fort 
Leavenworth. Leave Independence for the Mountains. Meet Pawnees. 
Indian hospitality. Journey up the South Fork Platte. Fort Grove. Bea- 
ver creek. Bijou. Chabonard's camp. Country described. Medicine 
Lodge. The Chyennee ; their character and histoiy. Arrive at Fort Lan- 
caster. Different localities in its neighborhood. Fatal Duel. Ruins. 200 

CHAPTER XX. 

Old acquaintances. Indian murders. Mode of travelling in a dangerous coun- 
tiy Mexican traders. Summary way of teaching manners. Fort Lancas- 
ter and surrounding coimtry. Resume journey. Cherry creek and connect- 
ing observations. Sketch of the Arapahos, their country, cliaracter, &c. 
Camp of free traders. Blackfoot camp. Daugherty's creek. Observations 
relative to the Divide. Mexican cupidity. Strange visitors. The lone trav- 
ellers. Arrive at the Arkamas. General remarks. Curious specimens of 
cacti. Fontaine qui Bouit, or Natural Soda fountain. Indian superstition. 
Enchanting scenery. Extraordinary wall of sandstone. 210 

CHAPTER XXI. 

Tkinity of the Arkansas. Settlement. The Pueblo. Rio San Carlos, its val- 
leys and scenery. Shooting by moonlight. Taos. Review of the country 
travelled over. Taos ; its vicinity, scenery, and mines. Ranchos and Ran 
cheros. Mexican houses ; their domestic economy, and filth. Abject poverty 
and deplorable condition of the lower classes of Mexicans, \vith a general 
review of their character, and some of the causes contributing to their pr^ 
•ent degradation. The Pueblo Indians and their strange notions. Ancieat 
tample. Character of the Pueblos. Journey to the Uintah river, and obse^ 
mtiMu by the way. Taos Utahs, Pa-utahs, Uintah and Lake Utahs. Tha 



CONTENTS. 

Diggers ; misery of tlieir situation, strange mode of lying, with a sketch of 
their character. The Navijos ; their civilization, hostility to Spaniards, 
ludicrous barbarity, hraver^^ &c., with a sketch of their country, and why 
they are less favorable to the whites than formerly. 221 

CHAPTER XXII. 

Uintah trade. Snake Indians ; their country and character. Description of 
Upper California. The Ea.«tern Section. Great Salt Lake and circumjacent 
country. Desert. Digger country, and regions south. Fertility of soil. / 
Prevailing rock and inineraJs. Abundance of wild fruit, grain, and game.*^ 
Valley of the Colorado. Magnificent scenery. Valleys of the Uintah and 
other rivers. Vicinity of the Gila. Face of the country, soil &c. Sweet 
spots. 3Iildness of chraate, and its healthines.s. The natives. Sparsity of 
inhabitants. No government. All about the Colorado and Gila rivers. 
Abundance of fish. Trade in pearl oyster-shells. Practicable routes from 
the United States. 232 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

{ffinerala. Western California. The Sacramento and contiguous regions. 
Principal rivers. Fish. Commercial advantages. Bay of San Francisco. 
Other Bays and Harbors. Description of the countiy ; tei-ritory northwest 
of the Sacramento ; llamath Mountains ; California range and its vicinity ; 
southern parts ; timber, river-bottoms ; Valleys of Sacramento, del Plumas, 
and ItJare ; their extent, fertility, timber, and fruit ; wild grahi and clover, 
spontaneous; wonderful fecundity of soil, and its products ; the productions, 
climate, luins, and dews ; geological and minei-alogical character ; face of 
the country ; its water ; its healtliiness ; game ; superabundance of cattle, 
horses, and sheep, their prices, &c.; beasts of prey; the inhabitants, who; 
Indians, theix character and condition ; Capital of the Province, v.ith other 
tovras ; advantages of San Francisco ; inland settlements ; foreigners and 
McfxieaM ; Government ; its full military strength. Remarks. 239 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

VitdtoTs at Uintah. Adventures of a trapping party. The Munchies, or white 
Indians ; some accomit of Ihem. Amusements at rendezvous. Mysterious 
city, and attempts at its eiploration,— speculation relative to its inhabitants, 
I^ave for Fort liail. Camp at Bear river. Boundary between the U. 
States and Mexico. Green valleys, &c. Comitry en route. Brown's-hde. 
Geological observations. Suda, Beer, and SteamJ3oat springs ; their peculi- 
arities. Minerals. Valley of Bear river ; it^ fertility, timber, and abun- 
dance of wild fruit. Bufialo berries. Superior advantages^ of tliis section 
ACneral tar. 250 

CHAPTER XXV. 

yipit HaQ ; iti histoiT, and locality. Information relatlv* to Owgom, Booad^ 



xii CONTEIfrS, 



uids and extent of the territory. Ita rivers and lakes, with a concise descrip- 
tion of them severally. Abundance and variety of fish and water-fowl. 
Harbors and islands. Oregon as a whole ; its mountains and geographical 
divisions. Eastern Divison ; its wild scenery, valleys, soil, and timber ; 
volcanic ravages ; country between Clarke's river and the Columbia. North 
of tho Columbia ; its general character. Middle Division ; its valleys, prai- 
ries, highlands, and forests. Western Division ; a beautiful country ; ex- 
tensive valleys of extraordinary fertility ; productive plains ; abundance of 
timber, its astonishing size and variety. A brief summary of facts. 258 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

Climate of Oregon ; its variableness ; its rains ; a southern climate in a ricrth- 
em latitude. Productiveness ; grain, fruits, and flowers, wild and culti- 
vated. Geological characteristics. Soils and prevailing rock. Minerals, 
&c. Variet)- of game. Wolves. Horses, and other domestic animals. 
Population, white and native ; Indian tribes, their character and condition. 
Missionary stations, and their improvements. Present trade of Oregon. 
Posts of the Hudson Bay Company. Settlements. Oregon City, its situa- 
tion and advantages ; about Linnton ; about Wallammette valley, Fualitine 
plains and Umpqua river ; Vancouvre, and its superior advantages. Kind- 
ness of Hudson Bay Company to settlers. 269 

CHAPTER XVII. 

The manufacturing facilities of Oregon. Commercial and agricultural advan- 
tages reviewed. Rail Road to the Pacific. Route, mode of travelling, and 
requisite equipment for emigrants. Importance of Oregon to the United 
States. Incident in the early liistory of Fort Hall. Why the Blackfeet are 
hostile, and bright spots in their character. Mild weather. Leave for the 

( , Platte. Journey to the Yampah, and sketch of the intermediate country. 
New Park. Head of Grand river. The landscape. Different routes to 
Fort Lancaster. Old Park. 277 

CHAPTER XXVra. 

From Grand river to Bayou Salade. Observations by the way. Description of 
the Bayou. Voracity of magpies. Journey to Cherry creek. Country en 
route. Crystal creek. Abundance of game. Antelope hunting. Remark- 
able sagacity of wolves. Snow storms and amusement. Ravenn. Move 
camp. Comfortable winter quarters. Animal food conducive to geneiul 
health and longevity. A laughable instance of sound sleeping. Astoiiish- 
ing wol fine, rapacity, Beaver lodges and all about beaver. Hunting excur- 
Bion. Vasques' creek, its valleys, table lands, mountains, and prairies. 
Camp. Left alone. Sensations, and care to avoid danger. A nocturnal 
viaitor. Thrilling adventure and narrow escape. A lofty specimon oi 
•*f«ttindovm stairs." Geological statistica. 287 



CONTENTS. X» 



CHAPTER XXIX, 

Kttom to the Fort. Texan recruiting officer. Nev/ plans. Volunteer. Th« 
Chance Shot, or Spacial Providence. Texan camp. Country contiguou* 
to the Arkansas, from Fontaine qui Bouit to the Eio de las Animas. 
Things at rendezvous. A glance at the company. Disposal of force. Marck 
up the de las Anhnas. The country ; Timpa valley, and its adjoining hills, 
to the de las Animas. The latter stream ; its canon, valley and enchanting 
scenery. Tedious egress. Unparalleled suffermg from hmiger, toil, and 
cold. Wolf flesh and buifalo liide. Pamful consequences of eating cacti. 
A feast of mule meat after seven days' starvation. Camp at the Taos trail. 
The adjacent couirtry. Strict guard. A chase. The meet reward for 
treason. 300 

CHAPTER XXX. 

March dovm the Cunarone. Junction of the two divisions. Country between 
the de las Animas and the Cimarone. Perilous descent. Canon of the 
Cimarone. Soil and prevailing rock. A fort. Grandeur and sublimity of 
scenery. Beauty of rocks. Cimarone of the pain. Fruits and game. Wide- 
spread desolation. A dreary country. Summer on the. Desert. Remarks. 
Encounter with Indians. Nature's nobleman. Wild horses and diflerent 
modes of catching them. Failm-e of expected reinforcements. March into 
the enemy's country. Ancient engravings upon a rock. Boy in the wolf's 
den. A man lost. Forced march. Torment of thirst. Remarks. Th« 
lost found. Expulsion for cowardice, — its efiect. 309 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

Mexican camp. Pursuit. Advance upon Mora. Enemy discovered. Coub- 
try between the Rio de las Animas and Mora ; its picturesque beauty. Ad- 
mirable point of observation. Fortified position. Battle of the pass ; order 
of attack, passage of the river, storming the enemy's camp, and number of 
killed, wounded and prisoners. Council of war. Prisoners released. 
Message to Amijo. Return march. Mexican army. Attacked, and results 
of action. Mexican bravery. Retreat. Cross the Table Mountain. New 
species of wild onions. Pilarch down the de las Animas. Discouragements 
accumulate. Disband, Sketch of factions. Texan prisoners. Arrival of 
, reinforcements. Battle of the Arroyo: killed, wounded, and prisoners. 
Retreat of Amijo. '' Stampede." Frightful encounter with the Cumanchei 
and Kuyawas. Discharge of troops. Affair with Capt. Cook. Surrender 
•o U. S. Dragoons, and failure of expedition. Return to Texas. Journey 
to the Platte. Country betv»een the Arkansas and Beaver creek. Feastinf 
at camp. Crows' eggs. Lateness of season. Snow-storm in June. An 
Indian fort Serio coraico adventiure with a wolf. IndJauB. Sonf ef Hm 
pigltt-bird. 811 



ooNTBirra. 



CHAPTER XXXIL 

Night on tho Pniri*. Head of the Kansas river. Minerals. Country. 
Gold. Wonderf\il incident relative to a woimded boll. Indians. Join the 
Arapahos. Moving village. Country between Beaver creek and the Platte. 
Canon. Reach Fort Lancaster. Fortune bettered. News from the States. 
Murder. Extraordinary instances of human tenacity to life. Arrival of 
Indians. Thefl. Chyenne outrage. Return of Oregon emigrants. " Old 
Bob," and his adventures. A " Protracted Meeting," or Indian Medicina- 
making. Indian oath. Jaunt to the mountains. Mountain scenery. Camp 
on Thompson's creek. Wild fruits. Concentration of valleys. Romantic 
"iew. A gem in the mountains. Grand river pass. Salt lakes. Aston- 
ishing scope of vision. The black-taUed deer. Peculiarity in horses. R©» 
■tarkable natural fortification. Return. Travelling by guess. 33 

CHAPTER XXXra. 

Newspapers. False reperts. Singular grasses. Sale of skins at Fort Lancasttr. 
An excursion. An incident. Camp. Huge horns. Leopard. Panther. 
Slaughter of eagles. Dressing skins. The hunter's camp. Vasques' creek. 
TV weather. Return- of comrades to Fort Sweets of solitude. Expo* 
sure in a snow-storm. The canon of S. Fork Phitte. A ridge. A val- 
ley. Beautiful locality. Choice site for a settlement. Flowera in February. 
A hunting incident. Fate of the premature flowers. Adventure with a 
riieep. Discovered by Indians. A pleasant meeting. Camp at Crystal 
crrek. Thoughts of home. Resolve on going. Commence journey. Tl» 
earavaa. " Big Timber." Country to the " Crossing." Big Salt Bottom, 
Flowers. A stranger of etlier lands. Difficulty with Indians. " Friday.** 
Tedious travelling. No timber. Detention. Country. Pawnee Fwk, 
Mountain and Spanish companies. Spy Buck, the Shawnee war-chiefl 
Pawnee Fork. — Cure for a rattlesnake's bite. Further detention. Sketcli 
of adjacent country. Pawnee Rocks. En route wi& Friday. MusquatoM. 
Observations. Friday as a hunter. 346 

CHAPTER XXXrV. 

TVs Arapaho American, a sketch of real life. Tenets of the mountain Indisas 
ia reference to a ftiture state of rewards and punishments. The " watar 
bulL" Country between Cow creek and Council Grove. Inviting locality 
{or settlement. Sudden rise of water. Separate routei. Dangerous trarel 
ling. Oage village. Osages, and all about them. Arrival al Vaa BonBy 

GcndndiBg remarka. 3Pr 



ROCKY MOUJ^TAII\^ LIFE 



CHAPTER I 



Objects of a proposeH excursion. — Primary plans and movements.— A digression — 
Rendezvous for Oregon emigrants and Santa Fe traders.— Sensations on a firsi 
visit to the border Prairies.— Frontier Indians. 

My puipose in visiting the Rocky Mountains, and countries adjacent, 
having hitherto proved a fruitful source of inquiry to the many persons I meet, 
v/hen aware of my having devoted three years to travel in those remote 
regions, and I am so plied with almost numberless other questions, I know 
of no better way to dispose of them satisfactorily, tlian by doino- what I 
had thought of at the outset, to wit : writing a book. 

But, says one, more books have been already written upon subjects of a 
kindred nature, than will ever find readers. True, indeed; 3'et I must 
venture one more; and this much I promise at the start: it sliall be different, 
in most respects, from all that have preceded it ; and if 1 fail to produce an 
agreeable variety of adventures, interwoven v.-ith a large fund of valuable 
information, then I shall not have accomplished my purpose. 

Yet, ' why did I go ?--wliat was my object ?' Let me explain : Dame 
Nature bestowed upon me lavislily that innate curiosity, and fondness fo? 
things strange and new, of which every one is more or less possessed. 
Phrenologists would declare my organ of Inquisitiveness to be largely 
developed ; and, certain it is, 1 have a great liking to tread upon unfre- 
quented ground, and mingle among scenes at once novel and romantic. 
Love of adventure, tlien, was the great prompter, while an enfeebled state 
of health sensibly admonished me to seek in other parts that invigorating 
air and climate denied by the diseased atmosphere of a populous countiy. 
I also wished to acquaint myself with the geograpl y of those comparatively 
unexplored regions,— their geological cliaracter, curiosities, resources, and 
natural advantages, together with their real condition, present inhabitants, 
jiducements to emigrants, and most favorable localities for settlements, to 
enable me to speak from personal knowledge upon subjects so interesting 
to ^^ J..-. .,. . . \ at the present time, as are the above. Here, then, w*'-* 
-> * (29^ 



RENDEZYOUS OF OREGON EOQRASm. 



objects every way worthy of attention, and vested with an important that 
would render my excursion not a mere idle jaunt for the gratificatioii of 
Belfish curiosity. This much by way of prelude, — now to the task in hand. 

While yet undecided as to the most advisable mode of prosecuting my 
intended enterprise, on learning that a party of adventurers were rendez- 
voused at Westport, Mo., preparatory to their long and arduous journey to 
the new-formed settlements of the Columbia river, I hastened to that place, 
where I arrived in the raontii of May, 1841, with the design of becoming 
one of their number. In tliis, however, I was doomed to disappointment 
by being too late. A few weeks subsequent marked the return of several 
fur companies, from their annual excursions to the Indian tribes inhabiting 
the regions adjacent to the head-waters of the Platte and Arkansas rivers, 
whose outv/ard trips are performed in the fall months. Impatient at delay 
and despairing of a more eligible opportunity, for at least some time to come, 
I made prompt arrangements with one of them, to accompany it, en route, 
as far as the Rocky Mountains, intending to proceed thereafter as circum- 
stances or inclination might suggest This plan of travelling was adhered 
to, notwithstanding the detention of some three months, which retarded its 
prosecution. 

I would here beg indulgence of the reader to a seeming digression. The 
peculiar locality of the places to whose vicinity he is now intrcxluced, owing 
to tlie deep interest cherished in the public mind relative to the Oregon coun- 
try, will doubtless call for more than a mere passing notice : I allude to the 
towns of Independence and Westport. Situated as they are, at the utmost 
verge of civilization, and upon the direct route to Oregon and regions adja- 
cent, they must retain and command, as the great starting points for emigrants 
and traders, that importance already assumed by general consent. Their 
faciUties of access from all parts of the Union, both by land and water, are 
nowhere exceeded. The proud Missouri rolls its turbid waves within six 
miles of eitPier place, opening the highway of steam conununication, while 
numberless prime roads that converge from every direction, point to them as 
their common focus. Thus, the staid New Englander may exchange his na- 
tive liills for the frontier prairies in the short interval of two weeks ; and in 
half that time the citizen of the sunny South may reach the appointed ren- 
dezvous ; and, nearer by, the hardy emigrant may commence his long over- 
land journey, from his own door, fully supplied with all the necessaries foi 
its successful termination. 

Independence is the seat of justice for Jackson county. Mo., about four 
hundred miles west by north of St Louis, and contains a population of 
nearly ti,vo thousand. Westport is a smaU town in the same county, near 
the mouth of the Kansas river, — three miles from the Indian territory, and 
thirty below the U. S. Dragoon station at Fort Leavenworth. The regular 
routes to Santa Fe and Oregon date their commencement at these places. 
The country in this vicinity is beginning to be generally settled by thrifty 
farmers, from whom all the articles necessary for travellers and traders, may 
be procured upon reasonable terms. 

Starting from either of the above points, a short ride bears the adventurer 
across the state line, and affords him the opportunity of taking his ini 
Uatory lessons amid the realities of prairie life. Here, most of the trading 
and emigrant companies remain encitn.jjfe«i ^ ./ : Tal weeks, to recruit 




KlN& ©F THE SilAWNEES. — Pa^e 38. 



BORDER-PRAIRIES AND INDIANS. 33 

their animals and complete the needful arrangements, prior to undertaking 
the toilsome and dangerous journey before them. 

The scenery of this neighborhood is truly delightful. It seems indeed 
like one Nature's favored spots, where Flora presides in all her regal 
splendor, and with the fragrance of wild flowers, perfumes the breath of 
spring and lades the summer breeze with willing incense ; — now, sport- 
ing beside her fountains and revelling in her dales, — then, smiling from 
her hill-tops, or luxurating beneath her groves. 

I shall never forget the pleasing sensations produced by my first visit to 
the border-prairies. It was in the month of June, soon after my arrival at 
Westport. The day was clear and beautiful. A gentle shower the pre- 
ceding night had purified the atmosphere, and the laughing flowerets, newly 
invigorated from the nectarine draught, seemed to vie with each other in 
the exhalation of their sweetest odors. The blushing strawberry, scarce 
yet divested of its rich burden of fruit, kissed my every step. The butter- 
cup, tulip, pink, violet, and daisy, with a variety of other beauties, unknov/n 
to the choicest collections of civilized life, on every side captivated the eye 
and delighted the fancy. 

The ground was clothed with luxuriant herbage. The grass, where 
left uncropped by grazing herds of cattle and horses, had attained a sur- 
prising growth. The landscape brought within the scope of vision a most 
magnificent prospect. The groves, clad in their gayest foliage and noddmg 
to the vv'ind, ever and anon, crowned the gentle acclivities or reared their 
heads from the valleys, as if planted by the hand of art to point the way- 
farer to Elysian retreats. The gushing fountains, softly breathing their 
untaught melody, before and on either hand, at short intervals, greeted the 
ear and tempted the taste. The lark, hnnet, and martin, uniting with other 
feathered songsters, poured forth heir sweetest strains in one grand con- 
cert, and made the air vocal with their v/arblings ; and the brown-plumed 
grouse, witiesft of the approach of man, till dangerously near, Vv^ould here 
and there em.erge wellnigh from under foot., and whiz through the air 
with almost lightning speed, leaving me half frightened at her unlooked 
for presence and sudden exit. Hither and yon, truant bands of horses and 
cattle, from the less inviting pastures of the settlements, were seen in tlie 
distance, cropping the choice herbage before them, or gamboUing in all the 
pride of native freedom. 

Amid such scenes I delight to wander, and often, at this late day, will 
my thoughts return, unbidden, to converse with them anew. There is a 
charm in the loneliness — an enchantment in the solitude — a witching 
variety in the sameness, that must ever impress the traveller, when, foi 
the first time, he enters witliin the confines of the great western prairies. 

One thing further and I will have done with this digression. Connected 
with the foregoing, it may not be deemed amiss to say something in relation 
to the Indian tribes inhabiting the territory adjacent to this common camp- 
ing-place. The nearest native settlement is some twelve miles distant, and 
belongs to the Shawnees. This nation numbers in all fourteen or fifteen 
hunlred men, women and children. Their immediate neighbors are the 
Delawares and Wyandotts, — the former claiming a population of eleven 
Dundred, and the latter, three or four hundred. Many connected with 
fchMO •«ib«s outstrip the nearer whites, in point of civilization and refine- 



84 PREPARATIONS FOR LEAVING. 

ment, — excelling them both in honesty and morality, and all that elevates 
and ennobles the human character. Their wild habits have become in a 
great measure subdued by the restraining influences of Christianity, and 
they themselves transformed into industrious cultivators of the soil, — occu- 
pying neat mansions with smiling fields around them. 

Nor are they altogetlier neglectful of the means of education. The 
mission schools are generally well attended by ready pupils, in no respect 
less backward than the more favored ones of other lands. It is not rare 
even, considering the smaliness of their number, to meet among them with 
persons of liberal education and accomplishments. Their mode of dress 
a-ssimilates that of the whites, though, as yet, fashion has m.ade compara- 
tively but small inroads. The unsophisticated eye would find prolific source 
for amusement in the uncouth appearance of their females on public occa- 
sions. Perchance a gay Indian maiden comes flaunting past, with a huge 
fur-hat awkwardly placed upon her head. — embanded by broad strips of 
figured tin, instead of ribbons, — and ears distended with large flattened 
rings of silver, reaching to her shoulders ; and here another, solely habited 
in_a long wollen under-dress, obtrudes to view, and skips along in all tha 
pride and pomposity of a regular city belle ! Such are sights by no meana 
uncommon. 

These tribes have a regular civil government of their own, and all laws 
ir^vituted for the general welfare are duly respected. They are, also,' be- 
coming more temperate in their habits, fully convinced that ardent spirits 
have hitherto proved the greatest enemy to the red man. The churches 
of various christain denominations, estabhslied among them, are in a flour- 
ishing condition, and include with their members many whose lives of 
exam.plary piety adorn their professions. 

Taken as a v/hole, the several Indian tribes, occupying this beautiful 
and fertile section of country, are living witnesses to the softening and be- 
nign influences of enlightened christian effort, and furnish indubitable 
evidence of the susceptibility of the Aborigine for civihzation and i^i- 
provement. 



CHAPTER II. 



Preparations for leaving.— Srenes at Camp— TMngs as they appeared.— Simplio. 
ity of mountaineers.— Sleep in the open air.— Character, liabits, and costume of 
mountaineers.— Heterogeneous ingredients of Company.— The commandant.— En 
route— Comical exhibition and adventure with a Spanish company.— Grouso.— 
Ehn Grove.— A storm. — Santa Fe traders.— Indian b.attle. 

After many vexatious delays and disappointments, the time was atleno-th 
fixed for our departure, and leaving Independance on the 2d of September, 
I proceeded to join the encampment without the state line. It was nearly 
night before 1 reached my destination, and the camp-fires were already 




Shawnee Maiden. — Pcs-e 34. 



SCENES AT CAMP. 37 



Jghted, in front of which the officiating cook was busily engaged in prepar- 
ing tiie evening repast. To the windward were the dusky forms of ten or 
fifteen men,--some standing, others sitting a la Turk, and others half- 
reclining or quietly extended at full length upon the ground,~watching 
the operative of the culinary department with great seeming interest. 

Enchairing myself upon a small ^g^ I began to survey the surrounding 
objects. In the back ground stood four large Connestoga waggons, with 
ample canvass tops, and one dearborn, all tastefully drawn up in crescent 
form. To the right a small pyramid-shaped tent, with its snow-white 
covering, disclosed itself to the eye, and presented an air of comfort. To 
tfie left the caravan animals, securely picketed, at regular distances of some 
fifteen yards apart, occupied an area of several acres. Close at hand a 
crystal streamlet traced its course, murmuring adown the valley ; and still 
beyond, a lovely grove waved its branches in the breeze, and contributed 
its willing mite to enliven and beautify the scene. The camp-fires in 
front, formed a kind of gateway to a small enclosure, shut in as above 
described. Here were congregated the company, or at least, that portion 
of it yet arrived. Some had already spread their easily adjusted couches 
upon the ground, in readiness for the coming night, and seemed only await- 
ing supper to forget their cares and troubles in the sweet embrace of sleep. 

Every thing presented such an air of primitive-simplicity not altogether 
estranged to comfort, I began to think it nowise marvellous that this 
mode of life should afford such strong attractions to those inured to it. 

Supper disposed of, • the area within camp soon became tenanted by the 
devotees of slumber, — some snoring away most melodiously, and others 
conversing in an animated tone, now jovial, now grave, and at intervals, 
causing the night-air to resound with merry peals of laughter. At length 
the sleep-god began to assert his wonted supremacy, and silence in some 
measure reigned throughout camp. 

The bed of a mountaineer is an article neither complex in its nature nor 
difficult in its adjustment. A single buffalo robe folded double and spread 
upon the ground, with a rock, or knoll, or some like substitute for a pillow, 
furnishes the sole base-work upon which the sleeper reclines, and, envel- 
oped in an additional blanket or robe, contentedly enjoys his rest. Wishing 
to initiate myself to the new mode of hfe before me, I was not slow to imi- 
tate the example of the promiscuous throng, and the lapse of a few moments 
found me in a fair way to pass quite pleasantly my first night's repose in 
the open air. 

With the first gray of morning I arose refreshed and invigorated, nor 
even suffered the slightest ill effect from my unusual exposure to a humid 
and unwholesome night-air. The whole camp, soon after, began to disclose 
a scene of cheerfulness and animation. The cattle and horses, unloosed 
from their fastenings, and accompanied by keepers, were again permitted 
to roam at large, and in a short time were most industriously engaged in 
administering to the calls of appetite. 

A^er breakfast I improved the opportunity to look about and scan more 
closely the appearance of my compagnons de voyage. This opened to view 
a new field for the study of men and manners. 

A mountain company generally comprises some quaint specimens of 
kuman nature, and, perhaps, few more so than the one to which 1 
4 



38 CHARACTER AND COSTUME OF MOUNTAINEERS., 



introduce the readier. To particularize would exceed my limits, nor could 
I do full justice to the subject in hand by dealing in generalities ; — ^how- 
ever, I yield to the latter. There are many crude originals mixed with the 
prime ingredients of these companies. A genuine mountaineer is a 
problem hard to solve. He seems a kind of sui genus, an oddity, both in 
dress, language, and appearance, from the rest of mankind. Associated 
with nature in her most simple forms by habit and manner of life, he 
gradually learns to despise the restraints of civilization, and assimilates 
himself to the rude and unpolished character of the scenes with which he 
is most conversant. Frank and open in his manners and generous in hie 
disposition, he is, at the same time, cautious and reserved. In his frankness 
he will allow no one to acquire an undue advantage of him, though in his 
generosity, he will oftentimes expend the last cent to assist a fellow in 
need. Implacable in his hatred, he is also steadfast in his friendship, and 
knows no sacrifice too great for the benefit of those he esteems. Free as 
the pure air he breathes, and proudly conscious of his own independence, 
he will neither tyrannize over others, nor submit to be trampled upon, — and 
is always prepared to meet the perils he may chance to encounter, with an 
undaunted front. Inured to hardship and deprivation, his wants are few, 
and he is the last to repine at the misfortunes which so often befall him. 
Patience becomes as it were interwoven with his very nature, and he sub- 
in' \, io the greatest disasters without a murmur. His powers of endurance, 
from frequent exercise, attain a strength and capacity almost incredible, — 
such as are altogether unlmown to the more delicately nurtured. His is a 
trade, to become master of which requires a long and faithful apprentice- 
ship. Of this none seems more conscious than himself, and woe to tho 
*^ greenhorn^' who too prematurely assumes to be "journeyman." His 
ideas, his arguments, his illustrations, all partake of the unpolished sim- 
plicity of his associations; though abounding often in the most vivid 
imagery, pointed inferences, and luminous expositions, they need a key to 
make them intelligible to the novice. 

His dress and appearance are equally singular. His skin, from 
constant exposure, assumes a hue almost as dark as that of the 
Aborigine, and his features and physical structure attain a rough and 
hardy cast. His hair, through inattention, becomes long, coarse, and 
bushy, and loosely dangles upon his shoulders. His head is surmounted 
by a' low crowned wool-hat, or a rude substitute of his own manufacture. 
His clothes are of buckskin, gaily fringed at the seams with strings of the 
same material, cut and made in a fashion peculiar to himself and asso- 
ciates. The deer and buflalo furnish him the required covering for his 
feet, which he fabricates at the impulse of want. His waist is encircled 
with a belt of leather, holding encased his butcher-knife and pistols — wb;le 
from his neck is suspended a bullet-pouch securely fastened to the belt in 
front, and beneath the right arm hangs a pov/der-horn transversely from his 
shoulder, behind which, upon the strap attached to it, are affixed his bullet- 
mould, ball-screw, wiper, awl, &c. With a gim-stick made of some 
hard wood, and a good rifle placed in his hands, carrying from thirty to 
thirty-five balls to the pound, the reader will have before him a correct like- 
ness of a genuine mountaineer, when fully equipped. 

This costume prevails not only in the mountains proper, but also in iht 



THE COMMANDANT. 39 

iesa settled portions of Oregon and California. The mountaineer is his own 
manufacturer, tailor, shoemaker, and butcher ; and, fully accoutred and sup- 
plied with ammunition in a good game country, he can always feed and clothe 
himself, and enjoy all the comforts his situation affords. No wonder, then, 
his proud spirit, expanding with the intuitive knowledge of noble inde- 
pendence, becomes devotedly attached to those regions and habits that per- 
mit him to stalk forth, a sovereign amid nature's lovliest works. 

Our (^.ompany, however, were not all mountaineers ; some weie only 
" entered apprentices," and others mere " greenJwrns " — taking every thing 
into consideration, perhaps, it was quite as agreeably composed as circum- 
stances would well admit of. In glancing over the crowd, I remarked 
several countenances sinister and malign, but consented to suspend judg- 
ment till the character of each should be proven by his conduct. Hence, 
in the succeeding pages, I shall only speak of characters as I have occa- 
sion to speak of men. As a whole, the party before me presented a choice 
collection of local varieties, — here was the native of France, of Canada, of 
England, of Hudson Bay, of Connecticut, of Pennsylvania, of New York, 
of Kentucky, of Ilhnois, of Missouri, and of the Rocky Mountains, all 
congregated to act in unison for a specified purpose. It m'ght well require 
the pencil of Hogarth to picture such a motley group. 

Our company had not as yet attained its full nui^ercial strength ; a small 
division of it was some distance in advance, another behind, and at least 
two days would be necessary to complete the arrangements prior tc leaving. 
The idea of spending two days in camp, notwithstanding the beauty of its 
location, was by no means agreeable ; but as the case was beyond remedy, 
I quietly submitted, and managed to while away the tedious interval as beet 
I could. 

A brief acquaintance with our commandant, found him a man of small 
stature and gentlemanly deportment, though savoring somewhat of arro- 
gance and self-sufficiency,— faults, by the way, not uncommon in little 
men. He had been engaged in the Indian trade for several years past, and 
had seen many " ups and downs" in former Mfe. Graduating from 
West Point in his younger days, he soon after received the commission of 
Lieutenant of Dragoons, in the U. S. Army, and served in that capacity for 
some six or eight years, on the frontier and at i'orts Gibson and Leaven- 
worth. Possessed of the confidence of his men, his subsequent resignation 
was the occasion of much regret with those he had been accustomed te 
command. The private soldier loved him for his generous frankness and 
readiness to overlook minor offences, even upon the first show of peni- 
tence. 

Such unbounded popularity at length excited the jealousy of his brother 
officers, and gave birth to a combination against him, which nothing could 
appease short of his removal from the army. Aware of his ardent tem- 
perament and strong party notions as a politician, and equally violent upon 
the opposite side, they managed to inveigle him into a discussion of the 
measures and plans of the then administration of national affairs. Argu- 
ing in the excitement of feeling, he made use of an unguarded expression, 
denouncing the Clilef Magistrate. This was immediately noted down, 
and charges were promptly preferred against him, for " abuse of a superior 
tfficeri^^ The whole aflkir was then referred to a Court Martial, composed 



40 COMICAL APPEARANCE OF A MEXICAN COMPANY. 

exclusively of political opponents. The evidence was so strong he h&d 
little to expect from their hands, and consequently tlirew up his commission, 
to avert the disgrace of being casMered^ since which he has been engaged 
in his present business. 

He appeared to be a man of general information, and well versed in 
science and literature. Indeed, I felt highly gratified in making an acquain* 
tance so far congenial to my own taste. 

An accession of two waggons and four men having completed our 
number, the morning of September 4th was ushered in with tiie din of 
preparations for an immediate start. The lading of the waggons was ther. 
severally overhauled and more compactly adjusted, and our arms were depos 
ited with other freight until such time as circumstances should call for them 
All was hurry and confusion, and ofttimes the sharp tone of angry disputf. 
arose above tlie jargon of the tumultuous throng. 

At length the word was given to advance, and in an instant the whole 
caravan was in motion ; those disconnected with the v/aggons, mounted 
upon horseback, led the van, followed by the teams and their attendants in 
Indian file, as the loose cattle and horses brought up the rear. The scene 
to me portrayed a novelty quite amusing. I began to think a more comical- 
looking set could scarcely be found any v/here ; but the events of the day 
soon convinced me of my mistake. 

Travelling leisurely along for some six or eight miles, strange objects 
were seen in the distance, v/hich, on nearer approach, proved a companj 
of Mexican traders, on their way to Independence for an equipment of goods. 
As they filed past us, I had full scope for the exercise of my risibilities. 

If a mountaineer and a mxountain company are laugljable objects, a 
Mexican and a Mexican company are triply so. The first thing that excites 
attention upon meeting one of this mongrel race, is his ludicrous apology 
for pantaloons. This is generally made of deer or bufi>vio skin, similar to 
our present fashion, except the legs, which are left unsewed from the thigh 
downwards ; a loose pair of cotton drawers, cut and made in like manner, 
and v/orn beneath, imparts to his every movements a most grotesque appear- 
ance, leaving at each step of the wearer his denuded leg, with that of his 
pantaloons on one side, and drawers on the other, fluttering in the breeze ! 
The next tiling that meets the gaze, is his black, slouching, broad-brimmed 
hat, {sombrero,) though little darker than the features it obscures, and far 
less so than the coarse, jet-colored hair that protrudes from beneath it, and 
falls confusedly upon his shoulders. Next, if the weather tolerates the 
habit, a coarse parti-colored blanket (charape) envelopes the body, from his 
shoulders downwards, fixed to its place by an aperture in the centre through 
which the head is thrust, and securely girted at pleasure by a waist-band 
of leather. His arms, if arms he has, consist of a rude bow and arrows 
slung to his back, or an old fusee, not unfrequently without flint, lock, or 
ammunition ; but doubly armed, and proudly, too. is he who can carry a good 
rifle with powder and lead— even if he he ignorant of their use. 

Thus appearing, these creatures, some mounted upon mules, vv^ith heavy 
spurs attached to their heels, (bearing gafis an inch and a half in length, jin- 
king in response to the rolHng motions of the wearer,) ensconced in bungling 
Spanish saddles, (finished with such ample leather skirts as almost hid the 
diminutive aaimal that bore them, and large wooden stirrups, some three 




Wagon Train. — Pa^e 40. 



i» 



A STORM. 43 



inchei broad,) were riding at their ease ; while others, half naked, were 
trudging along on foot, driving their teams, or following the erratic mules 
of the caravan, to heap upon them the ready maledictions of their prolific 
Tocabulary. Passing on, we were accosted : 

" Como lo pasa, cabelleros ?" 

The salutation was returned by a simple nod. 

** Habla la lengua Espanola, senors ?" 

A shake of the head was the only response. 

" Es esta el camino de Independenca ?" 

No reply. 

" Carraho ! Que quantos jornadas tenemos en la camino de Indepen- 
tfenca?" 

Still no one answered. 

** Scha ! Maldijo tualmas ! Los Americanos esta dijabelo !'' 

By this time the crowd had passed and left us no longer annoyed by its 
presence. The conclusion irresistibly forced itself upon my mind, "if 
these are true specimens of Mexicans, it is no wonder they incite both the 
pity and contempt of the rest of the world." Subsequent intercourse with 
ihem, however, has served to convince me that first impressions, in this 
case, instead of exceeding the reality, fell far short of the true mark ! 

Continuing our course, we saw large numbers of prairie-hens, and suc- 
ceeded in killing several. These birds assimilate tiie English grouse in 
appearance, and are of a dusky-brown color, — with short tails, and narrow- 
peaked wings, — and little less in size than the domestic fowl. Their flesh 
IS tender and of superior flavor. When alarmed, they start with a cack- 
ling noise, and whiz through the air not unlike the partridge. They are 
very numerous on the frontier prairies, and extend to the Rocky Moun- 
tains, Oregon, California and New Mexico. 

About sundown we reached a small creek known as Elm Grove, and 
encamped for the night, with every indication of an approaching storm. 
Strict orders were accordingly given for securing the animals, and the 
process of "picketing" was speedily under way. This consisted in 
driving small stakes ("pickets") firmly into the ground, at proper dis- 
tances apart, to which the animals were severally tied by strong cords, — a 
plan that should find nightly practice among all travellers of the grand 
prairies, to prevent those losses which, despite the utmost precaution, will 
not unfrequently occur. 

Timber proved quite scarce in this vicinity, and it was with great difficulty 
we procured sufficient for cooking purposes. The men now began to 
prepare for the coming storm. Some disposed of themselves in, and 
others under, the waggons, making barricades to the windward ; others 
erected shantees, by means of slender sticks, planted in parallel rows five 
or six feet apart, and interwoven at the tops, so as to form an arch of 
suitable height, over which was spread a roofage of robes or blankets, — 
while others, snugly ensconced beneath the ready pitched tent, bade de- 
fiance to wind and weather. 

Being one of those selecting a place under the waggons, I retired at an 
tarly hour to snooze away the night ; and despite the anticipations of an 
inpleisant time, I gcxin lest siysSf ?n a sweet slumber, utterly uncon- 
sewai of tveiy thing aioimd ine. In thoughts I wandered ba!ck to tht 



44: 



AN INDIAN BATTLIS. 



home of my childhood, to converse with friends whose names and featurea 
fond memory has chained to my heart, while imagination roamed with. 
delight amid those scenes endeared to me by earliest and most cherished 
recollections. But all the sv/eet pencillings of fancy were at once spoiled 
by the uncivil intrusion of a fnJl torrent of water, that came pouring from 
the hill-side and forced its impetuous way into the valley below, — deluging 
me from head to foot in its descent. My condition, as the reader may 
well suppose, was far from being enviable. However, resolved to make 
the best of a bad thing, after wringing the water from my drenched bed- 
ding, 1 selected another spot and again adjusted myself to pass the dreary 
interval till morning ; this I succeeded in doing, — how or in what man- 
ner, it is unnecessary to say. Sleep was utterly out of the question, and 
I am quite sure I never hailed the welcome morn with greater delight 
than on this occasion. 

Others of the company fared almost as bad as myself, and there was 
scarcely a dry bed in camp. But the little concern evinced by tlie moun- 
taineers for their mishap, surprised me moGt. They crawled from their 
beds, reeking with wet, as good hum.oredly as tliough their nocturnal bath 
had in no v/ise disturbed their equanimity, or impaired their comfort. 

The morning proved so disagreeable two of our party, who were accompa- 
nying us for the purpose of adventure, concluding this a kind of adventure 
they were unwilling to meet, wisely resolved to take the back track, and 
accordingly left for hom.e. Towards niglit the rain ceased, and, the clouds 
having dispersed, we were again en route. Travelling on till late, we. 
encamped in the open prairie, and early the next morning resumed our 
course. Having reached a small creek, about lO o'clock, we halted for 
breakfast, where another Santa Fe company came up. This proved a 
party of Americans, with some six or eight waggons and a large number 
of horses and mules, on their homeward journey. They had also in their 
possession an elk nearly full grown, two black-tailed deer,* an antelope 
and a white-tailed fawn. 

Through them we received intelligence of a battle recently fought be- 
tween the Pawnee and Arapaho Indians, at the lower Cimarone Springs, 
south of the Arkansas. The former had been defeated with greai 
slaughter, — losing their horses and seventy-two of their bravest war- 
riors, to increase the trophies and enliven the scalp-dances of their ene- 
mies. This action occurred directly upon the Santa Fe trail, and the dead 
yet bestrewed the prairie, as our informants passed, half devoured by 
wolves, and filling the air with noisome stench as ihey wasted beneath 
the influence of a scorching sun. 

An approving murmur ran through the crowd while listening to the re- 
cital, and all united to denounce the Pawnees as a dangerous and viillan- 
ous set, and wished for their utter extermination. 

* The black-tailed deer are larger than the common deer, and are found only in 
ihe snow-mountains. For a lescription of them the reader is referred to subwqueni 



46 



CHAPTER III. 

rhe Pottowatomies.— Crossbig tlie Wakarousha.—Adventure at the Springs.— 1^ 
Caw chief.— Kansas river and Indians.— Pleading for whiskey.— Hickory timber. 
—Prairie tea.— Scenes at the N. Fork of Blue.— Wild honey.— Return party.— 
Mountaineers in California. — Adventure with a buffalo,— Indian atrocities.— 
Liquor and the Fur Trade.— Strict guard.— High prices. 

Continuing our course, we bore to the right, and struck the northern 
or Platte trail, and, after travelling eight or ten miles, made camp upon a 
email creek skirted with heavy timbei, called Black Jack. An early start 
the next morning brought us to the Wakarousha, a considerable tributary 
of the Kansas, where a junction was formed with our advance party. The 
territory lying upon this stream as far south as Council Grove, (a noted 
place on the Mexican trail, 144 miles west from Independence,) belongs 
to the Pottowatomies. These Indians are very wealthy and are partially 
civilized, — the most of them being tillers of the ground. Their dwelling* 
are of very simple construction, — large strips of bark firmly tied to a 
frame-work of poles with small apertures to admit light, furnishing the ex- 
terior, while the interior is finished by the suspension of two or three 
blankets between the apartments, as partitions, and erecting a few scafiblda 
for bedsteads. The fire-place in warm weather is out of doors, but in 
the winter it occupies the centre of the building, from which the smoke- 
unaided by jamb or chimney — is left to find its way through an opening 
in the roof. Some, however, are beginning to improve in their style of 
architecture, and now and then we find a tolerably spacious and comforta- 
ble house among them. 

The Catholics have several missionaries with this tribe, and are using 
great exertions, if not to ameliorate their condition, at least, to proselyte 
them to their own peculiar faith. The missionaries of other christian 
denominations are also devoting themselves for their benefit, and not un- 
frequently with gratifying success. 

The remainder of the day was occupied in crossing the creek — a task 
by no means easy, — its banks being so precipitous we were compelled to 
lower our waggons by means of ropes. In so doing it required the utmost 
caution to prevent them from oversetting or becoming broken in the ab- 
rupt descent. 

The night following was passed upon the opposite bank. After travel- 
ling some twelve miles the next day, we encamped a short distance to the 
right of the trail, at a place known as the Springs. Scarcely had we 
halted when two footmen appeared from an opposite direction — one of 
them leading a horse — whom a nearer advance proved to be a white man 
and an Indian. The former was immediately recognized by our engages 
as an old acquaintance, by the name of Brown, who had been their recent 
compagnon de voyage from the mountains. His story was soon told. A 
few days subsequent to his arrival in the States, a difiiculty had occurrea 



46 KANSAS INDIANS. 



lietween him and another person, who received a severe wound from a 
jnife by the hand of Brown during the afiray, when tlie latter was ne- 
cessitated to consult his own safety by a hurried flight. He accordingly 
bade farewell both to enemies and law, and left for the Indian country — 
travelling most of the way by night. Two weeks afterwards he arrived 
in the Kansas nation, and remained with the Indian now accompanying 
hhn, to await our return. 

Having listened to his story, I began to survey his strange companion. 
He was a village chief of the Kansas (Caw) tribe, and the first of his race 
I had ever seen so nearly dressed in his native costume. In person he 
was tall and stout-built, — with broad shoulders and chest, brawny arms 
and legs, and features evincing the uncontaminated blood of the Aborigi- 
ne. His hair was closely shaved to the scalp, v/ith tlie exception of a 
narrow tuft centre wise from forehead to crown, so trimmed it stood on end 
like the bristles of a warring hog; then his whole head and face were so 
lavislily bedaubed with vermiHon, our experienced city belles would doubt- 
less have considered it an unpardonable waste of that useful material! 

A string of bears'-claws, tastefully arranged, encircled his neck, while 
ample folds of brass wire above the wrists and elbows furnished his armil- 
lary, and from his ears hung rude ornaments, — some of silver, otliers of 
brass or iron — cruelly distending the flexible members that bore them. A 
dirty white blanket drawn closely around the shoulders enveloped the 
body, which, with a breech-cloth and leggins, formed his sole covering. A 
bow and arrows, slung to his back by a strap passing over the left shoul- 
der and under the right arm, were his only weapons. A belt, begirting 
the waist, sustained his tobacco-pouch and butcher-knife, and completed 
his attire and armament. 

Thus habited appeared before us the Caw chief, holding in one hand the 
lead-rope of his horse, and in the other the wing of a wild turkey, with a 
a long-stemmed pipe, carved from a hard red stone, handsomely wrought and 
finely polished. Taken altogether, he presented an amusing spectacle — 
a real curiosity. 

Having shaken hands with the company and turned his horse to graze, in 
a few moments his pipe was subjected to its destined use, and, as the inhaled 
fumes merrily curved from his mouth and nostrils, he ever and anon pre- 
sented it for the indulgence of the bystanders. His knowledge of English 
was limited to the simple monosyllable " good," which ho took occasion to 
pronounce at intervals as he thought proper. 

Sept. 8th. Continuing on, we encamped towards night at a small creek 
within six miles of the crossing of the Kansas river. Here a bevy of our 
chief's villagers, rigged in their rude fashion, came flocking up, apparently 
to gratify their curiosity in gazing at us, but really in expectation of some 
trifling presents, or in quest of a .favorable opportunity for indulging 
their inate propensities for theft. However, they found little encourage- 
ment, as the vigilance of our guards more than equalled the cunning of our 
visitors. During their stay we were frequently solicited for donations of 
*,obacco and ammunition, (as they expressed it.) in payment for passing 
ikrough their country. This was individually demanded with all the assu- 
rance of government revenue officers, or the keepers of regular toll-bridges, 
•trongly reminding one of the petty nations upon the borders of Canaan 








The G\w CiilKF. — Pa'rc 46. 



, 



PLEADING FOR WHISKEY. 49 

hat required tribute of tlie Israelites passing through them to ])ossess the 
,and of their forefathers. 

Sept. 9th. Early in the forenoon we came to the Kansas, and were em- 
ployed till nearly ni^ht in eflecting a ford. This proved rather difficult, as 
the water was deep and the botto u sandy; — the course, bearing directly 
across, till near midway of the river, follows the current for sLx or eight 
Hundred yards, and then turns abruptly to the opposite shore. The Kansas, 
at the crossing, was not far from six hundred yards wide, with steep banks 
of clay and sand. The fording accomplished, we travelled some six miles, 
and encamped for the night. Our visitors yet honored us v/ith their pres- 
ence ; some, under pretence of trading horses ; others, of bartering for 
tobacco, whiskey, coffee, and ammunition ; but most of them for the real 
purpose of begging and steaUng. 

The Caw Indians are a branch of the Osage tribe — speaking the same 
language, and identified b) the same manners and customs. They num- 
ber a population of sixteen hundred, and claim all the territory v/est of the 
Delaware, Shawnee, and Pottowatomie line, to the head waters of the 
Kansas. Their main village is on the left bank of the river, a few miles 
above the crossing. Tiieir houses are built Pav/nee fa: hion, being coni- 
form and covered with a thick coat of dirt, presenting a holo at the apex to 
emit the smoke, and another at the side to serve the double purpose of a 
door and window. The whole building describes a complete circle, in 
whose centre is placed the hearth-fire, and at the circumference the couches 
of its inmates. Its floor is the bare ground, and its ceiling the grass, brush, 
and poles which uphold the superincumbent earth forming the roof and 
sides. 

The Caws are generally a lazy and slovenly people, raising but little 
corn, and scarcely any vegetables. For a living they depend mostly upon 
the chase. Their regular hunts are in the summer, fall, and winter, at 
which time they all leave for the buffalo range, and return laden with a 
full supply of choice provisions. The robes and skins thus obtained, 
furnish tlieir clothing and aiUcles for traffic. 

As yet, civilization has made but small advances among them. Some, 
however, are tolerably well educated, and a Protestant mission established 
with them, is beginning ua oiuw "uut oucc^i^orul operations for their good, — 
while two or three families of half-breeds, near by, occupy neat houses, and 
have splendid farms and improvements, thus affording a wholesome contrast 
to the poverty and misery of then* rude neighbors. 

The distance from Independence to this place, by the mountain trail, is 
6ome eighty miles, over a beautiful and fertile country, which I shall here- 
after take occasion to notice more fully. Before leaving, we were further 
increased by the accession of two Canadian voyageurs — French of course. 
Our force now numbered some twentv-four — one sufficiently formidable for 
all the dangers of the route. 

Sept. IQth. Resuming our way, we proceeded till late at night, still 
attended bv our Indian friends ; (noL the originals, but a " few more of the 
same sort, who kindly supplied their pLces,- -seeking to levy fresh drafts 
upon patience and generosity.) Tiiese were more importunate for liquor than 
anjr preceding them — though, in fact, the whole nation is nowise remiss in 
their devotion to King AlcoTiol One fellow, in particular, exhausted ail hin 



so SCENES AT NOR'ra FORK OF BLUE. 



ingeniuty to obtain tlie wherewith to " wet his whistle." He was a sHtIt- 
el-faced old man, and occasioned miicli sport, from his suppHcations is 
broken Englisli, which ran pretty much as follows : 

" Big man, me. Chief, — Black Warrior. Me, American soldier ! Love 
Americans, heap. Big man, me ! Love whiskey, heap. White man 
good. Whiskey good. Love whiskey, me, — drink heap whiskey. No 
give me whiskey drink ? Me, Chief. Me, American. Me, Black War- 
rior. Heap big man, me ! Love Americans. Take Mm hand, shake. 
White ma i good. VV'hiskey good. Me love whiskey ! Love him heap ! 
No give Black Warrior whiskey? No? — one leetle drink? Whiskey 
good. Me love him. Make Black ^Varrior strong. Big man, me, — 
Chief. American soldier. Me love American. Shake him hand. Pight 
him, bad Indian, no love white man. Kill him. White man good. Me 
love white man. Whiskey good. Me love whiskey. No give Black 
Wari'ior whiskey, — one ^etlo drink ? Me, Chief. Big man, me." Etc. 

In this strain the old fellow continued so long as he found listeners, but 
without success, although, as I afterwards learned, two v/aggons were 
freighted with the noxious article ; none of it was suffered to find its vv^ay 
down the throats of our thirsty guests. 

Pursuing a v/esterly course, nearly parallel with the Kansas, for three 
successive days, we passed the 14th encamped at Big Vermilion, for the 
purpose of procuring a quantity of hickory for gun-sticks and bow-timber. 
Hickory is unknown to the Rocky Mountains, and this being the last place 
on the route affording it, each of our company took care to provide himself 
with an extra gun-stick. Small pieces, suitable for bows, find market 
among the mountain Indians, ranging at the price of a robe each, 
while gun-sticks command one dollar apiece, from the hunters and trap- 
pers. 

We were also careful to provide an extra quantity of ox-bows, axle-trees, 
&c., as % resource in case of accidents or breakage. These are articles 
with which every caravan should be furnished on a journey across the 
grand prairies. "% 

In this vicinity a species of shrub, which I hafffcefore noticed in various 
olaces, (designated as "red-root" by our voyageurs,/jbecarae quite abundant 
The red-root is highly esteemed as a substitute for tea, and my own expe- 
rience attests its superiority of flavor to any article of that kind imported 
from China. In appearance it is very similar to the tea of commerce, and 
it afibrds at all times a most excellent beverage. It is found only upon the 
prairies between tlie frontiers and Big Blue, and in some portions of the 
tlocky Mountains. 

Leaving Big Vermilion, we travelled rapidly the two days subsequent, 
and arrived at the North Fork of Blue, — a large and deep stream, tributary to 
the Kansas. We were here detained till the 24th~the creek being im- 
passable on account of high water. 

However, the beauty of the place and variety of its landscape scenery, 
served in a great measure to alleviate the weariness of delay. The coun- 
try was most agreeably interspersed with hills, uplands, and dales — amply 
watered and .variegated with woods and prairies, attired in all the gaudy 
loveliness of wild-flowers. The busy bee, afraid of the cruel persecuticna 
ni mai, had here sought a secure retreat to pursue, unmolested betr 



ADVENTURE WITH A BUF1*'AL0. 61 

melliferous employ, and fill the dark chambers of her oaken palaces yeai 
by year with honeyed stores. The air was almost vocal Avith the music of 
her wings, and the flowerets were enlivened by the gentle touches of her 
embrace. The odor of honey filled the breeze, which, wafting the mingled 
melody of birds and insects vnili the incense of flowers, o'er the smiling 
prairie till lost in space, seemed more like the breath of Eden than the 
exhalations of earth. 

As might be supposed, we were not slow in levying upon the delicious 
Btores, which the industrious insects, claiming this as their dominion, had 
laid away for themselves. During our stay no less than four bee-trees 
were levelled, and every pan, kettle, pail, keg, or empty dish in the whole 
camp was filled to overflowing, and every stomach to repletion, with honey 
of almost crystalline transparency. The great abundance of deer, turkey 
and otlier game in the vicinity, also contributed tlieir share of amusement, 
and enlivened the interval of detention. 

At length, by a partial subsidence of the water, we were enabled to efiect 
a crossing and renew our journey. Pursuing a course W. N. W., on the 
27th we met a small party of whites on their return from the mountains, 
and, yielding to the temptation presented by a luxuriant and well-wooded 
valley, with a pretty streamlet, the two parties made common camp. Our 
new acquaintances were taking a large drove of horses, and several do- 
mesticated bufllilo, v/ith them to the States. Their horses had been mostly 
obtained from Upper California, the year previous, by a band of mountain- 
eers, under the lead of one Thompson. This band, numbering twenty-two 
in all, had made a descent upon the Mexican ranchos and captured between 
two and three thousand head of horses and mules. A corps of some sixty 
Mexican cavalry pursued and attacked them, but were defeated and pursued 
in turn, with the loss of several mules and their entire camp equipage : 
after which the adventurers were permitted to regain their mountain homes, 
without further molestation ; but, in passing the cheerless desert, between 
the Sierra Nevada and Colorado, the heat, dust, and thirst were so in- 
tolerably oppressive, that full one half of their animals died. The remain- 
der, however, were brought to rendezvous, and variously disposed of, to suit 
the wants and wishes of their captors. 

Tlhe buffalo, in possession of our wayfaring friends, had been caught 
while calves, and reared by domestic cows. They appeared as tame and 
easily managed as other cattle. One of them, a two-year-old heifer, was 
rather vicious in its habits, having been spoiled, while a calf, by the too 
great familiarity of its keeper. After listening to a full exposition of its 
bad qualities, our commandant ofl^ered to bet he could handle, or even ride, 
the unruly beast at pleasure. 

" Can you ?" said the owner. " Do it, and my best horse is yours !" 

"I take all such offers!" returned the commandant. "A horse couid 
not be easier earned !" he continued, stepping towards the ill-tutored ani- 
mal. " Come, boss ! — Poor boss ! — bossy, bossy !" addi-essing the buffalo, 
which comiuenced advancing, — at first slowly, then, with a sudden bound, 
ran full tilt against the admirer, leaving him prostrate upon the ground, ai 
it turned away, dancing and throwing its heels exultingly at the exploit. 

"Bless my stars !" he exclaimed, on recovering himself; "I'd ii« idea 
twould wrve me so I" 



52 LIQUOR AND THE FUR TRADK. 

" Ha, hsL, ha !" retorted the ovraer. " You seem to pick upon a straugt 
place for a snooze ! What in the world were you doing before that skittish 
beast ?" 

The roar of laughter which followed, told how well the joke was relished 
by the crowd. 

Rapoi-ts from the mountains brought intelligence of recent difTiciiltieB 
betv/een the wliites and Sioux, — tlie latter having murdered several ti-ap- 
pers. A battle had also been fought in the Snake country, in which the 
Sioux were defeated v/ith a loss of tvTnty killed and wounded, — the whites 
sufFered in the loss of their leader (Frapp) and four others. Another 
affair had come off, at Fort Platie, between two factions of that tribe, while 
on a drunken spree, resulting in the death of Schena-ChischiUe, their 
chief, and several of his party. 

The most acceptable item of intelligence was the probability of oui 
reacliiug tlie buffilo range in ten days, at least, where we should find vast 
quantities of those animals. This led our voyageurs to expatiate anew 
upon the choice varieties of the feast of good things we might expect on 
that occasion. 

Bidding adieu to our transient camp-mates, we were soon again en route. 
The day follov/ing. being unfit for travel, was devoted to overhauling and 
re-adjusting the freight of the waggons. Here, for the first time, I ascer- 
tained the fact, that a portion of the above consisted of no less than 
twenty-four barrels of alcohol, designed for the Indian trade ! 

Tiiid announcement may occasion surprise to many, when aware that 
the laws of Congress prohibit, under severe penalties, the introduction 
of liquor among the Indians, as an article of traffic, — subjecting the of- 
fender to a heavy fine and confiscation of effects. Trading companies, 
however, find ways and means to smuggle it tlirough, by the waggon-load, 
under the very noses of government officers, stationed along the frontiers 
to enforce the observance of laws, 

I am irresistibly led to the conclusion, that these gentry are wilfully neg- 
ligent of their duty ; and, no doubt, there are often weighty inducements 
presented to them to shut their eyes, close their ears, and avert their faces, 
to let the guilty pass unmolested. It seems almost impossible that a blind 
man, retaining the senses of smell, taste and hearing, could remain igno- 
rant of a thing so palpably plain. The alcohol is put into waggons, at 
Westport or Independence, in open day-light, and taken into the territory, 
in open dciy light, where it remains a week or more awaiting the arrival of 
its owners. Two Government agents reside at Westport, while six or 
eight companies of Dragoons are stationed at Fort Leavenworth, ostensibly 
for the purpose of protecting tie Indians and suppressing this infamous 
traffic, — and yet it suffers no diminution from their vigilance! What 
faithful public officers ! How prompt in the discharge of their whoU 
duly ! 

These gentlemen cannot plead ignorance as an excuse. They well 
know that alcohol is one of the principal articles in Indian trade — this fact 
is notorious— no one pretends to deny it ; not even the traders themselves — 
and yet, because no one takes the trouble to produce a specimen of the 
kind of freight taken, more or less, by all mountain companies, and forci 
them to Me, taste^ toucht and smelly they affect ignorance ! It is thus tbf 



HIGH PRICES. 



benevolent designs of our Government are consummated by these pension' 
ere upon the public treasury ! 

Had they the will so to do, it would be no difficult matter to put a stop 
to all such expoitations. The departure of any one of these companies 
for the mountains, is a tiling too difficult to be effected unknown and 
steakhily. It becomes public talk for days and even weeks previous. 
Scarcely anything would be easier than for those whose business it is, to 
keep on the look out, and enforce the law to its fuil extent upon each of- 
fender. A few examples of this kind would interpose an insuperable bar- 
rier to the furtlier prosecution of an illicit traffic in the manner it is at 
present carried on. A few faithful public officers, and attentive to tlieir 
duty, regardless of fear or /aror, would soon accomplish an object so de- 
sirable. 

In subsequent pages of this work I shall have occasion to notice a few 
of the many evils resulting from tliis criminal neglect,— but at present 
forbear further remarks. 

Our arms were now put in order for immediate use, — each individual ap- 
portioning to himself a good supply of ammunition, to be ready at ail times 
in ca^e of attack. Guards were ordered to be constantly on the alert. 
The company was divided into two parties, — one for day and the other for 
night guard, ai)d these again Were subdivided for alternate relieves, — thus, 
one (if each subdivision ser\iDg a day and a night, and the resen^e the 
day and night succeeding. The day-guard consisted of only two persons. 
U]ion duly every other day, but tlie night-guard numbered ten, — two being 
on duty for two hours were then relieved by the two next in succession, 
and they by the next, and so on. 

Strict orders were also given to prevent any from leaving camp, oi part- 
ing from the caravan while travelling. In fact, every thing began to as- 
sume a warlike aspect, as if we were really in danger and apprehensive 
of an immediate rencounter. 

Several bo?:8s of clothing, &c., were also opened for such as wished to 
purchase. But every article disposed of v/as sold at an enormous rate: 
tobacco bringing from one to three dollars yjer lb., according to quality ; 
batcher-knives, from one dollar to one fifty each; hose, one dollar per 
pair ; shirts, from three to five dollars each, according to quality ; blank- 
ets, irom twelve to sixteen dollars ; coats, from fifteen to forty dollars; 
coarse tdioes, four dollars per pair; six-penny calicoes, fifty cts. per yd.; 
beads, one dollar per bunch, etc. These were of an indifferent quality, 
and afTordod the vender some three or four hundred per cent, advance 
upon purchase-price. In fact, with regard to prices, conscience had no- 
thing to do with the xapJ^-sr, 



H 



CHAPTER IV 

Country from the frontiers to Big Blue, its geological character, (fee— Novel cure foi 
fever and ague.— Indian trails.— Gavne.— Sega rabbits. — Antelope, and their pe 
culiarities. — Beaver cuttings. — Big Blue and its vicinity. — Dangerous country.— 
Pawnee bravery.— Nigiit-alarrn, (Prairies on fire.)— Platte river.— Predominant 
characteristics of the Grand Prairies, and theory explanatory of their phenome- 
non.— Something to laugh at.—" Big Jim," and the antelope. 

Sept. '26t1i. We are now camped ^.ipon a -^mal] creek, nearly destitute 
of timber, within two miles of Big l>]ue, or the N. W. branch of the 
Kansas river. The geograpliy of this part of the coimtry is incorrectly 
described upon all tjie published maps I have yet seen. The Republican 
Fork, whicli is the principal branch of the Kansas, is uniformly represented 
rr: the most north v.'c^tcrly branch of tliat river, forming a junction with it 
at or below the usual cro^ssing. This is not^Alic case. 

The two fork-? of Blue, from tlie northv/cst, united, form a large and 
im.portant stream, which, according to my impression, discharges Its waters 
into the Kansas itself, and not into the Republican. Of this, ho^vover, I 
am not quite positive. But be that as it may, admitting the Republican to 
be the main stream. Big Blue must be, as a matter of course, the most 
northwesterly branch of the Kansas river. 

Proceeding up the Blue, the geological character of the country under- 
o-ies ?.vi. entire and radical change, and the traveller is introduced to a diire> 
ent order of things from that previously observed. 

Perhaps, therefore, it is not out of place to present a general review of 
the territory thus far. 

The interval from the frontier of Missouri to Big Blue, a distance up- 
wards of two hundred miles, affords great uniformity in all its more promi- 
nent characteristics. It generally comprises beautifully undulating prai- 
ries, of a moist argillaceous soil, rich in sedimentary deposites and vege- 
table matter. It is somewhat rocky in places, but well watered by the 
almost innumerable streams that find their way into the Kansas, Platte 
and Arkansas rivers. The creeks, v>^ith but few exceptions, are heavily 
timbered with oak, hickory, walnut, maple, cottonwood, and otlier varieties 
fon!id in more eastern forests. The hills too, in some parts, aie more 
than usually abundant in springs, and covered with stately groves, as taste- 
fully arranged as if planted by the hand of man, while iuxiiriant grass 
and fragrant flowers usurp the place of underbrush. The prairies, hem- 
med in on every side by the woodlands s^kirting the v;ater-courses, present 
to the eye proud oceans of flowery verdure, tossing their wavelets to the 
breeze and perfuming the air witli thebreathi ( f spring. 

The streams are clear, with rocJcy or pebbly bottoms and high, steep 
banks — abounding in choice specimens of the finny tribes and varieties of 
^hi^ testa.ceous order, of the geims muscula. The valley of the Kansas ii 



SAGE RABBn^S. 56 

wide and of a deep brown vegetable mould, susceptible of a high state of 
cultivation. The whole country is well adapted to the double purpose of 
agriculture and the growth of stock. 

The prevailing rock is sandstone of various shades and compactness, 
with siliceous and fossiliferous limestone. These specifications are gene- 
rally exhibited in a detached and fragmentary form, but rarely in strata as 
disclosed upon the surface. 

Taken as a whole, tlie temtory liolds out many inducements to emi- 
grants, and, whenever brought into market, will no doubt become speedily 
ind thickly populated.* 

Sept. ZOih. We are again under headway. A French engage, who 
had been suffering for several days past from a severe attack of the fever 
and ague, experienced a sudden and novel cure. Unable to travel, quar- 
ters were prepared for him ia one of the v/hiskey waggons, where he was 
comfortably disposed of as we continued our course. In passing a rough 
place the vv'aggon overset, when out came tiie invalid head foremost, and 
out came the whiskey barrels showering full upon him ! The suddenness 
of the fall, v/ith the surprise and excitement of the occasion, — one, or both, 
or all, or some other cause unknown, effected a complete cure, — for cer» 
tain it is, he did not suffer another attack of the fever and ague during 
the v.'hole journey, and the next day was able to discharge his duties as 
well aw ever. 

On striking the Big Blue, the mountain road bears a north-northwest 
course to the head of that stream, and from thence over an interval of high- 
lands to the Platte river. The distance travelled up the Blue requires some 
eight days, for heavy waggons. Continuing our way, about noon we passed 
several Indian trails, in addition to one ten or twelve or fifteen miles back. 
These consist of a number of well-beaten, parrallcl foot-paths, bearing a 
northwest and southwest direction. They are formed by the passing and 
repassing of the Otoes, lowas, and Foxes, to and from their hunting 
grounds, towards the head- waters of the Kansas. 

On the 3d of October we reached the antelope range, and saw four or 
five of these animals scouring tlie boundless expanse, or ascending some 
fa\ urable eminence to g-aze upon us. Slight signs of buffalo also appeared, 
and everything seemed to indicate the approach to a game country. 

Parting a short distance froni the trail, a large sage rabbit bounded up 
before me. — the first of his species I ever saw. This animal is nearly 
three times the siz? of tlie common rabbit, and of a white color, slightly 
tinged with grey. It derives is name from being found principally in coun- 
tries aboun iing with absinthe or wild sage. In the regions adjacent to the 
mountains, these animals occur more frequently, — and even among the 
mountains, where their tails and ears are tipped with jetty black. Their 
fur is soft and fine, — equalling if not surpassing that of the Russia rabbit. 
Their flesh is also of a superior flavor, as I have had opportunities of 
testing. 

Towards night, three antelope appearing near the trail, our hunter made 

• By a recant treaty with the Kansas Lidian3. our government has b«com« 
f^ nawlv thsi v/hole of this beautiful s«ction. 



56 ANTELOPE OF THE PRAIRIE. 

an unsuccessful attempt to approach them, which afforded me a first ink- 
ling of the nature and character of these animals. 

The antelope of the grand prairie ditiers but little in size and shape 
from the common sheep, and is coated \vdtii long, brittle hair, — of a ruddy 
brown color, except at the tail and head, where it is short and white. The 
female is hornless, except an occasional blunt corneous excrescence, some 
two or three inches longf protruding from tlie liead. The male, however 
is equipped with hook-shaped antlers, ebony colored, and six or eight inches 
in length, which he sheds annually in the months of November and De- 
cember. 

Tliis is the fleetest inhabitant of the prairie. No horse can compete 
with it in speed. Quick of sight, keen of scent, and acute of ear, it 
seems ever on the alert at the approach of real or supposed danger, — now 
swiftly advancing towards the object of its aJarm or curiosity,— then circling 
before you with the fleetness of tlie storm- wind, to mount some eminence far 
away beyond reach, and gaze in security. Tlien, again, ere you have 
time to catch breath for admiration, it repeats its semi-gyration from an 
opposite direction, stili nearer and swifter, till past, — as if indeed borne on 
tlie v/ings of lightning — and yet again surveys you in the distance. Now, 
running from point, to point it examines you upon all sides, as it cautiously 
passes round, — then, snuffing the breeze, it again calls to aid its fleetness 
of limb, and v/ith the velocity of thought is. lost to view in the vast ex- 
panse. 

Possessed of an inordinate share of inquisitiveness, it not unfrequently 
falls a victim to its own curiosit}'. The hunter, turbaned with a red hand- 
kerchief and half concealed behind some object, first raising, then depress- 
ing his head, then vvithdrav/iDg it entirely from view, then again disclosing 
it to the curious animal, is almost certain to allure his game within gun- 
shot. 

I have seen numbers killed in this manner. In the spring season they 
appear more sensitive than at nny other time, and are easily lured to their 
fate. 

With the exhibition of this strange propensity, I have time and again 
been minded of its more iuliy developed moral prototype in man. How 
frequently do we see persons around us who indulge their appetites and 
passions, as often for mere curioi=ity as fancied pleasure, — venturing near- 
er and still nearer towards the objects that connnand their attention and 
lure them into t)ie vortex of ruin, till, with sure and deadly aim, the shafts 
^f the tempter pierce the waning vitals of morality, ond plunge the vic- 
tims headlong into a yawning abyss, where they are lost to themselves, 
to society, and to the world — lost forever! 

Here, then, is furnished for us a moral: — Beware how you mdulge a 
vain curiosity that lures to evil ; — never parley with temptation. 

These animals arc found from the Big Blue to tiie mountains — m 
Oregon, Cahfornia, ?Santa Fe, and N. W. Texas. Their flesh is tender 
and sweet, — quite equal to venison, though seldom fat, owing, as is sup-- 
posed, to their almost inccsoant mobility. 

Near our night-camp I noticGd fresh beaver " cuttings " some of which 
consisted of trees, six inches in diameter, levelled by ^ese sagacious ani- 



PAWNEE BRAVERY. 61 

The vicinity disclosed frequent boulders of red and dark ferruginooB 
sandstone, with a soil somewhat arenose, reclining upon a changeable 
deposite of sand and giuvel, succeeded by a substratum of parti-colored 
and friable sandstone. The valley of the Blue is bordered by hills of 
graceful slope, both green and beautiful. 

I here remarked for the first time the appearance of cadi, which here- 
from becomes quite common, and proves tlie pest of many places adjacent 
to the mountains. 

The Blue is a deep, narrow stream, witli a swift current, over a bed of 
gravel and pebbles, and is fringed by groves of oak, cotton- wood, and wil- 
DW. Its valley is between one and two miles in width, with a supertice of 
variable fertility, but generally consisting of good arable land. 

This section of country is considered very dangerous in the summer 
and fall months, on account of the sti'olling bands of Pawnees which infest 
it The voyageur holds the latter in great dread, unless he chances to be 
accompanied by a sufficient force to^ bid defiance to their approach. A 
party, numerically weak and indifterenily armed, meets with rough treat- 
ment at their hands while on the open prairies. Persons and property 
are rarely respected, and the unfortunate traveller is not only plundered, 
but often whipt or murdered without mercy. 

This, however, may not be said of all — it is only the young wan-iors, 
when beyond the restraint of their chiefs and seniors, who perpetrate such 
outrages ; though, to tiieir praise be it said, instances of this kind are quite 
seldom, at present, compared with former years. 

The courage of these Indians is held in little repute by mountaineers; 
and, that this opinion is not unfounded, the following incident will prove. It 
was related to me by an actor in the scene : 

A small party of whites on their cruise down the Platte with a cargo of 
furs, " lay by " to make meat, near the forks of tliat stream. Buffalo be- 
ing at some distance from camp, our adventurers were compelled to perform 
the duties of pack-horses in conveying the proceeds of their hunting ex- 
cursions. One day, four of them left for this object, and having proceeded 
some six or eight miles, a war-party of Pawnees suddenly emerged from 
beliind an eminence, directly fronting them. Alarmed at the unwelcome 
apparition, and imagining the whole country to be alive with Indians, ikey 
immediately ran, and were pursued towards camp. One of the number, a 
big, lazy fellow, and rather " green " withal, soon became tired, and sung 
out to his companions : 

" Don't let's run so fast. Blast me, if I can keep up !" 

"Come on, — come on !" cried they. " A thousand * sh ved heads' are 
upon us, half fi-ozen for hair !" 

"Pooh ! I'll bet five dollars there aint thirty !" 

" Done ! But, who'll count the bloody varmints ?" 

"Why, I'll do it, just for my own satisfaction." So saying, he wfieeled 
and advanced towards the Pawnees, as his wondering companions halted a 
little distance off, to learn the result of his fool-daring. 

Surprised at tliis strange movement, the enemy also came to a stand, 
aflbrding a fine opportunity to ascertam their number, which only tmonntsd 
tonivetem! 



58 PRAIRIES ON FIRE. 

"I've won !" exclaimed our nero. *' Let's charge, and give 'em the very 
devil!" 

The vvord'ivent for command, and tlie HyLir hunters dashed boldly towards 
the terrified savages, who in turn jleJ., v/ith greater velocity than they hac 
called into exefcise at any time during their advance, — illusirating the 
ti'uth of tjie saying, " tyrants are always cowaids." Legs proved quite 
convenient articles for the Pawnee braves ! Tliey were out of sight in a 
few minute.^, and were very careful not to stop until they had left their 
pursuers far in the rear. 

A Pawnee witli a defenceless enemy in his power, like some examples 
among the white.?, is unrivalled in courage and daring; but where there is 
resistance offered, and figliting to be done, he, as well as the Irishman's 
chickens, "comes up missing!" He is always bravest when farthest 
from danger. 

We were careful to observe the strictest vigilance at nigiit, to prevent 
the loss of horses from lurking bands of Indians. The animals of tiie 
caravan were uniformly picketed in compa.t order, and sentinels, posted at 
suitable distances, continued to pace their rounds, from dirk till daylight; 
^ vvhile each of the company slept by hi;^ arms, in readiness at any moment 
to repel an attack. 

Having travelled for seven successive days, we made camp late in the 
afternoon at the head of the right fork of Blue. 

During the day we had noticed a dense smoke some distance in the 
rear, but, with the wind in an opposite direction, no uneasiness was leit on 
that account. The sentries were soon at their posts, and everything was 
bnugly disposed of for the night. Those not on duty improved the oppor- 
tunity to gain respite from.the fatigues of the day, and, hi a brief interval, 
were snoring away at an admirable rate. 

The polar-star by its " pointers " iiad just told the liour of midnight, 
when these hurried words rang tlirough tlie camp : 

" Lave, ho ! Lave !* Prairies on fiie I Quick — catch up ! catch 
up!" 

This tftartlii'ig announcement instantly brought every man to his feet; — 
and such a scene as now met the eye ! How awful, and hov/ grand ! The 
wind, new diangcd and fresheiied, to the right and rear, was tossing t';o 
flames towards us, rapidly — lighting the heavens with their lurid glare, 
and transforming the darkness of night into a more than noon -day splen- 
dor ! 

Here was, indeed, an "ocean ofJlameT far as the eye could reach— 
dancin;2; with liery wavelets in the wnid, or i-oiling its burning ourgus, in 
mad fury, eager to lick up every vestige of vegetation or semblaiice of 
combustible that appeared in its way ! — now shooting its glowing missiles 
far, far ahead, like meteors athwart tho sky, or towering aloft from the 
weeds and ^all grass, describing most iiiJeous and fantastic form?; that, 
moving witli the v/ina, more rL.,cmble(! a cotillion of demons among thiif 
native flames tiian aught terrestial ! — then driving whole sheets of the 
raging element into the withered lierbage in front, like the advance scouts 

♦ " Lave " appears to be a corruption of the Spanish word levar, to get up, gi 
wrouM, a« firom sleep. It is in common use among raoiintaineer3. 



FLATTE RIVER AND ITS VICHflTT. fiS 

of an invading anny, swept onward its desolating course, leaving in itar 
track naught save a blackened waste of smoking ruins ! 

Altogether, it was a sublime spectacle, a stupendous scene, grand and 
imposing beyond description, and temble in its beauty ! Commingled with 
sensations of wonder and admiration, it tended to impress the beholder with 
feelings of painful melancholy. The broad expanse, but a few moment* 
since arrayed in all the mourning grandeur of fading autumn, was now a 
naked desert, and every vestige of loveliness in an instant snatched ftom 
view! 

How sudden, how a\iful, how marked the change ! and yet. how mag- 
nificent in its career, though doleful its sequel ! 

We were speedily under way, witli as much earnestness of advance as 
that of righteous Lot, in his escape from burning Sodom.* For a while 
the pursumg enemy kept even pace, and threatened to overtake us, till, 
headed by Sie strong wind, which meanwhile had changed its course, it 
began to slacken its speed and abate its greediness. 

About sunrise we crossed the regular Pawnee trails, (leading to and from 
their hunting grounds, v/hich bore the appearance of being much fre- 
quented,) and at 10 o'clock, A. M., reached the Platte river, having trav- - 
elled a distance of thirty miles witliout, halting. 

The mountain road strikes the above stream at lat. 40° 41' 06" north, 
long. 99° 17' 47" west from Greenwich, some twenty miles below die 
head of Grand Island. This island is densely wooded and broad, and extends 
for fifty or sixty miles in length. The river banks are very sparsely tim- 
bered, a deficiency we had occasion to remark during the remainder of our 
journey. 

The valley of the Platte at this place is six or seven miles wide, and the 
river itself between one and two miles from bank to bank. Its waters are 
very shallow, and are scattered over their broad bed in almost innumerar 
ble channels, nearly obscured by the naked sand-bars that bechequer its 
entire course through the grand prairie. Its peculiarity in this respect 
gave birth to the name of Platle^ (shallow,) which it received from the 
French, and Charlre, (surface,) from the Mexicans, — the Indians, accord- 
ing to Washington Irving, calling it Nebraska,^ a term synonymous with 
that of the French and Americans, — however, I am ignorant in reference 
to the latter. 

• The great peril of our situation, and the pressing necessity of a hurried flight, 
may be readily inferred from the fact, that one waggon was freighted with a 
large Quantity of gunpowder. None of us were quite so brave or present-minded as 
several Mexicans, in the employ of Messrs. Sent & St. Vrain, on an occasion some- 
what similar. While .iourneying across the grand prairies, the powder-waggon acci- 
dentally caught fire, wlxich was noticed immediately by the Mexican attendants, who 
hurriedly clasped it upon all sides, to prevent the velucle from being blo^vn to pieces, 
while one of them proceeded deliberately to extinguish the flames ! Neither could 
we stand comparison with a Heiitenant of the Mexican array, at Santa Fe, who, on 
opening a keg of powder, made use of a red-hot iron in Ueu of an auger, for that 
purpose. It is needless to say, a tremendous explosion followed. Several of the by- 
standers were killed, but the lieutenant miraculously escaped. He soon after receiv- 
ed a Captain's commission from the Commander-in-chief, in consideration of hda 
mdomitable courage ! 

t The Sioux have bestowed the appellation of Duck nver upon the North Fork o^ 
Pktte. 



aO THEORY JRELATIVE TO THE PRAIRIES. 



The bottom upon the south bank is between three and four miles braid, 
and of a Ught, deep, and rich soil, occasionally sandy, but covered with thick 
and lusty vegetation. Back from the valley, ranges of broken sand-hills 
mark the transition to the high arid prairies in the rear, where vegetation 
becomes more dwarfish and stinted in its growth, and is intermingled with 
sequent cacii. 

These immense plains are generally clad with a short, curly grass, (tne 
buflalo grass,) very fine and nutritious, and well adapted to the sustenance 
of the countless herds of buffiilo and other wild animals that feed upon it. 
Their soil is generally of a thin vegetable mould, upon a substratum of 
indurated sand and gravel. 

In many places it is quite sterile, producing little other than sand-burrs 
and a specimen of thin, coarse grass, that sadfy fail to conceal its forbidding 
surface ; in others, it is but little better than a desert waste of sand-hills, 
or white sun-baked clay, so hard and impervious that neither herb nor grass 
can take root to grow upon it ; and in others, it presents a light supcrfice, 
both rich and productive, beclad with all that can beautify and afiorn a 
wilderness of verdure. 

The springs and streams of water are ** few and far between," — an evil, 
however, slightly atoned for by the occasional pools formed in favoring de- 
pressions during the rainy season, which are retained in their places by the 
extreme hardness of the soil. Were it not for these it would be almost 
impossible, in many directions, to travel the vast prairies lying between 
he Arkansas and Missouri, from long. 22® 30' west from- Washington to 
Jie Rocky Mountains. That this section of country should ever become 
inhabited by civilized man, to any extent, except in the vicinity of large 
water-courses, is an idea too preposterous to be entertained for a single 
moment. 

As the reader is now inducted to the grand prairie as it is, it may not be 
amiss to say something relative to this phenomenon, tefore dismissing the 
subject in hand. 

The steppes of Asia, the pampas of South America, and the prairies of 
the great West, so far as my information extends, are possessed of one 
general and uniform character. There is something deeply mysterious 
associated with them, that puzzles the philosopher and cosmogonist to ex- 
plain. Why is it neither timber nor shrubs, as a general thing, are found 
within their confines ? Why have not the same causes operated here 
which produced the stately forests of other regions ? 

The above questions are often asked, and as often answered ; but nevei 
satisfactorily. 

Some respond by a reference to their frequent burnings, — others to 
s(Mne chemical detect in their soil, — others, to the disgeniality of theii 
climate,— others, to tlieir infecund aridity, — and yet, others, to tlie sup» 
position that some operation of nature or art has effected the destruction 
of quondam forests, and reduced them to their present condition. 

Each of these answers, though, doubtless, partially true in many re* 
•pects, fails to solve the problem before us. 

Here we have, in many places, almost measureless extents of fertil* 
soil, moist and abundantly watered, by rams, springs, and ever-flowing 
streams, with all the desiderata for the producing of trees, — and what 



SOMETHiNG TO LAUGH AT. 61 



withhold* them ? Other aectiona of country, under less favorable circum- 
itances, are not wanting in this respect. 

Why is it ? Timber of every kind adapted to the zone and climate will 
grow as thriftily when planted here, as elsewhere. The frontier forests of 
our Western States have been observed for years past to make slow but 
constant encroachment upon contiguous prairies, from ail sides, where, ai 
yet, they have a foothold ; — and wliy ? Partly, because their enlargement 
is not circumvented by those annual burnings that formerly devoured every 
tender shoot daring to raise its head above ground ; and, partly, through 
the operation of other causes, sure and gradual in their effect, which have 
planted the groves of other lands and taught their branches to wave in the 
Dreeze. Doubtless the same causes would produce the same results, all 
over these vast regions, as elsewhere. 

But, why have they not ? — why are tlie prairies timberless ? Simply, 
because a sufSciency of time has not yet elapsed for the operation of these 
causes, — timber has hitherto had no possible chance for generation. The 
phenomenon, if rightly viewed, will thus explain itself. Geology points to 
the time when these vast solitudes were the bed of old Ocean and the liome 
of waves, — but, gradually emerging or suddenly elevated from the watery 
al")yss, they now present some of the more recent formations of dry land. 

Herbage and grass, being more easily propagated than trees, — sown as 
are their seeds by the birds and scattered by the winds of heaven, — in a 
brief interval, beswathed the new-born earth with smiling green. Thn.-? 
clothed with verdancy, they soon became the favorite pastures of tlie 
countless herds that thronged them. With game, appeared the red m.n 
to hunt it, and with him the yearly conflagrations that now repel the in- 
truding woodlands and confirm the unbroken sway of solitude amid her 
far extending domains. 

Here, then, we have spread before us the prairies as we find them,— tlie 
problem of their existence needs no further solution. 

Oct. 12th. Still continuing up the Platte by its south bank, wo made 
camp at night near the head of Grand Island. During our progress we 
saw large quantities of \vild geese and cranes in the river bottoms, that 
presented tempting marks for our voyageurs. One of the latter, — a tall, 
raw-boned, half-crazed, and self-confident Missouri " Ned," — good naturt^d 
and inane, — sporting the familiar soubriquet of " Big Jim," — wishing lo 
prove the truth of the Dogberry axiom, that " some things may be done as 
well others," started to approach a large flock of sand-hill cranes, parading 
' half obscured in a plat of grass near the road side. 

The wary birds, however, caught glimpse of the approaching Nimrod 
and flew. Still our hero advanced, crawling upon all-fours, to witliin sixt^ 
or seventy yards of their recent position, when, raising up, he espyed an 
object which his excited imagination portrayed a crane, and promptly yielded 
to it the contents of his rifle. 

Of course the obstinate creature remained in statu quo. 

Re-loadmg with all possible speed, he again fired ! But the second shflC 
proved futile as the first. 

Detennined the next should count whether or no, he advanced still 
nearer, and had raised for his third discharj , before the naked truth ban* 
6 '. 



62 BIG JIM AND THE ANTELOPE. 



upon his astonished vision,— he had been shooting at a bunch of dead grass 
Shouldering his rifle ho now rejoined the caravan, and was received by th* 
A^ags who had witnessed his exploit, as follows : 

"Ho, Jim ! I say, Jim ! Did you kill it ?" 

" Hang me, but it stood fire well,--didn't it ?" 

" Reckon you wanted a bigger charge." 

•' Strange you couldn't knock it cold at that distance !" 

" May be your gun's out of order ?" 

" Yes. I'll bet a stewed crane of it. Have you noticed the "s^^** 
ately ?" 

" Why, Jim. Really you've had bad luck ! What, within sixty yards 
ijid not kill 1 I can beat that, all day !" 

" Ha, ha, Jim ! Shoot him grass !" 

This rally was received, by our hero, in good part, who joined in the 
sport with as much gusto as though some one else were the victim. 

The day, however, was not permitted to pass without "another display of 
Liie prowess of " Big Jim." 

A doe antelope, attracted by the strange appearance of the moving cara- 
van, and impelled by its innate curiosity, had ventr.red to a tempting prox- 
imity. Mounted upon a fleet horse and supposing lie coiild easily ride 
'iown the antelope, our hero started in pursuit. 

Intently surveying the passing scene, the agile animal permitted him to 
-jdvance within a few yards of her before she took the alarm. Now was 
a novel race. Away v/ent antelope and away went Jim, in full chase. 
The former was soon far ahead, and stopped to ga?:e upon her pursuer. 

Supposing she had become tired and v/as about to yield, our hero came 
il-dshing on, impetuously, under whip and spur, fully intent upon her cap- 
ture. But, again, away went antelope, and away went Jim, whose steed, 
»imbitious as its rider, and proud in its own fieetness, strained every nerve 
for the crisis. Even the antelope seemed to have found a chsmpion to 
contest her unrivalled and universally acknowledged superiority. With 
iiistended mouth and protruding tongue, panting in the excitement of fear 
and foaming in the vehemency of effort, she gained but slowly upon th( 
bounding charger, as both swept over the prairie almost with speed of the 
atorm-wind ! 

Now, again, she stops to gaze upon her pursuer. By this time all be- 
gan to feel an interest in the result of the strange race. The word re* 
mounded : 

'* Go it, Jim ! you'll beat the beater, yet !" 

Once more, the antelope shoots from before both horse and rider, like 
the swift-winged arrow twanged from a giant's bow ! 

A broad ravine intercepting her course was cleared at a bound, and left 
the flying animal far upon the other side. At a bound the steed also 
cleared the barrier, but, in striking upon the opposite bank, it plunged 
headlong upon the yielding ground, tossing its rider far away in advance 
all safely sprawhng in a sand heap. 

The luckless wight, on recovering, found his noble least so sprained by 
the fall it could scarcely stand, and its every nerve vibrating with frightful 
tremors. Of course here was the Jhmle of the race, as both now re- 
*qrned to the caravan, — the recent rider, on foot, leading his jaded steed, — 



BIG JIM'S THIRD ATTEMPT AS HUNTER. 

the ridden slowly liiiipiiig beliindj-^presenting a marked contrast between 
the opening and t.osinjjf scene. 

The ill-fated horse was too tnucii disabieJ lor furilier bei-vice during tlie 
journey. 

As Dur hero joined tiie company, tiie joke-iovnig wags again broke 
oose: 

" Well, Jim. 1 say, — ahem ! did you <iatch liie larnal critter ?" 

" Pooh ! Why dithi't you iioid on, and not let her slide through your 
fingers in that way i" 

" Why, man ! You wasn't spry enough, wuen you juuijied oif your horg« 
or you might have caught her— just as easy !" 

" I'd like to know what you was diving arter in that tand-bank I—the 
♦Dtelope wasn't there !" 

" Oh, Jim ! Shoot iiini grass, kill horse. Me look next time he run 
antelope." 

The passive recipient of tliese sallies had little peace from hence- 
fortli, and soon began to viosh he had never seen an antelope or heard of a 
crane. 



CHAPTER V. 

Deserted camp. — Big Jim's third attempt as a hunter. — Buffalo and other particu 
lars. — Big Jim lying guard. — Butchering. — Strange selections. — Extraordhmry 
eating, and excellence of buffalo meat..— Brady's Island."-The murderer's fate.— 
Substitute for wood. — A stonn.— Game in camp.— Sti-auge mfatuaiion.—Tenacity 
of bufElo to life, and how to hunt them. — Cross S. Fork of Platte. — Big Jira'a 
fourth adventm*. 

Near camp was the site recently occupied by the Pawnee village, 
whose occupants had evidently deserted it with the utmost precipitancy, 
leaving lodge-.skins, mortars, bowls, pans, and a variety of other articles 
strown confusedly upon all sides. They had doubtless become alarmed at 
the approach of some real or supposed enemy, and consulted their twn 
safety in flight. 

V Having started early the next day, our hunter soon brought in tWL line 
tntelope, the sight of which again raised the ambition of Big Jim, who would 
faki do deeds of equal wonder ; and he accordingly strolled off into the 
hilJs with that intent. After shooting at several of the wary animals 
without success, he began to get tired of the sport, and concluding the 
" poverty-stricken " creatures not worth tlie powder and lead, set his facu 
for the caravan. 

Plodding leisurely along, he espied a prairie snake, and, o'erjoyed at 
the thought of counting a " coup, " gathered his rifle by the small, and 
brought it down with such force, he not only killed the snake, but broke 
his gun-stock short off at the breech. With the pieces, one in each hand, 
he made his appearance before his comrades, who hailed him : 



44 LYING GUARD. 

^ Hallo, Jim. What's that you've kHled ?" 

** Gun broke. Why, you must have overloaded it !" 

" When'l] you go hunting again ? — 'case I want to go too !'* 

" Poor Jim ! Shoot grass, kill horse, break gun ! Wat in de wor 
ioes him mean !" 

" Never mind, Jim. Don't be skeered at these fellows. It takes you 
to play the devil and break things !" 

Towards night, several bufialo bulls having made their appearaiice, our 
hunter, mounting a horse, started for the chase, and in a brief interval, re- 
turned laden with a supply of meat. Camp had already been struck, and 
preparations for the new item of fare were under speedy headway. 

The beef proved miserably poor ; but when cooked, indilferent as it was 
I imagined it the best I had ever tasted. So keen w?a my relish, it 
seemed impossible to get enough. Each of us devoured an enormous 
quantity for supper,— and not content with that, several forsook tlieir beds 
during the night to renew the feast,-~aa though they had been actually 
starving for a month. 

The greediness of the " greenhorns,'* was the prohfic source of amuse- 
ment to our voyageurs, who made the night-air resound with laughter at 
the avidity with which the unsophisticated ones " walked into the aSections 
of the old bull," as they expressed it. " Keep on your belts till we get 
among cows," said they, "then let out a notch or two, and take a full 
meal." 

It was equally amusing to me, and rather disgusting withal, to see the 
" old birds," as they called themselves, dispose of the only hver brought in 
camp. Instead of boiling, frying, or roasting it, they laid hold of it raw^ 
and, sopping it mouthful by raouSiful in gallj swallowed it with surprising 
gusto. 

This strange proceedmg was at first altogether incomprehensible, but, 
ere the reader shall have followed me through all my adventures in the 
wilds of the great West, he will find me to have obtained a full knowledge 
of its several merits. 

The beef of the male buflTalo at tliis season of the year, is poorer than 
at any other. From April till the first of June, it attams its prime, in 
point of excellence. In July and August, these animals prosecute their 
knight-errantic campaign, and, between running, fighting and gallantry, 
find little time to graze, finally emerging from the contested field, with 
hides well gored, and scarcely flesh enough upon their bones to make a 
decent shadow. 

It is nowise marvellous, then, that our lavish appropriation of bull- 
meat at this time, when it is unprecedentedly tough, strong-tasted, and 
fwr, should excite the mirth of our better-informed beholders. 

The night was a cold one, and claimed for it Big Jim as second guard 
When called for "relieve," with a borrowed gun, he commenced hia 
rounds, — but the cold soon drove him to the camp-fire. 

Here, ^/eariness and the somnific efl^cts of a generous heat, speedilj 
found him stretched at full length towards tha fir«,inorii:if away at a sauna 
'»t*, the subject of thtir corabmed infiuene» 



SLAUGHTER OF BUFFALO. 65 

The guard time had already expired, and his partner on duty, perceiving 
Lhe pleasant situation of tlie indomitable Jim, called the next"reHeve, 
and retired. 

These paced their rounds, and the fourth guard succeeded, but still our 
hero occupied the same place in which he had lain his " tour." The 
sentinels were about to take their posts, as a loud sharp voice resounded 
through camp. 

" Quit, there ! What d'ye mean ?" 

Hastening to the spot from which the cry proceeded, v/ho should be 
seen but Big Jim, in great agony, rubbing his foot with most pitiable 
grimace : 

His slumbers had been disturbed by a falhng log, of the camp-fire, wliich 
had planted its glowing weight full against one of his fee-t, — becrisping 
the sole of his shoe and severely scorching its tenant, before awakening 
him. Dreaming some one had hold of his foot, and started by a sudden 
acuteness of pain, he exclaimed as above quoted. 

The sentinels laughed at his mishap, and turning to pace their rounds, 
drawled out : 

" What d'ye mean ? Sure enough, what d'ye mean ! Shoot grass, 
kill horse, break gun, lay guard, burn shoe, and scorch foot ; — all in two 
days and two nights ! Poor devil, — why ye no born wid better luck !" 

With the morning, the subject of his recent adventures called forth fresh 
scintillations of waggish wit, — while the unrivalled capacity of our hero, 
as a gormandizer, gave cue to the cuts that followed : 

" Well, my head for a foot-ball, if that aint the greatest idea yet 
What ! — roast foot, basted with leather, — and his own at that ! Such a 
meal none but Jim would ever have thought of !" 

" Why, man ! What put you in the notion of that dish ?" 

" Strange, indeed, if you can't find the wherewith to stuff your devil, 
without cooking your feet ! Souse, to be sure ! Here, you can take my 
hat!" 

The luckless wight had now enough to engage his attention during the 
remainder of the journey, and began to wish he had never seen a moun- 
tain company, or left his sweet home in Missouri to cross the great prairies 
witli such a crowd, — but all to no purpose ; he was too late to retrace his 
steps alone. 

Oct. IBth. Starting at early day, we travelled till about 11 o'clock, 
A. M., and halted for breakfast. The teams were scarcely turned to graze, 
when a dense band of buffalo cows made their appearance, from the back 
prairie, wending their way towards the river. 

Expectation was on tip-toe, and all appetites doubly sharpened for an 
anticipated feast, as our hunter and his assistant started to intercept the 
witless animals at the river bank. 

The two placed themselves in a chosen position and awaited the heavily 
moving throng, which soon advanced to within shooting distance. The 
sharp crack of a rifle now stopped their headway, and caused them to re- 
coil a few paces, leaving one of their number struggling in death. An 
other discharge followed, and the affrighted herd were seen flying from 
th«r conc«alM«ntiny, with all the energy that innate dread of danger and 



66 EXraAOKDlNARV EATmO- 

death lent to their ready feet, — but not until another victim had dank the 
sod with the unsought libation of its heart's blood. 

It pained me, as I came up, to witness the noble beasts as they lay ex- 
tended upon the gore-dyed ground. But the present was no time for 
regret ; we were to feed upon their carcases. 

The process of butchering was a new developement of that most use- 
ful science. The carcase was iBrst turned upon the belly, and braced to a 
position by its distended legs. The operator then commenced his labors by 
gathering the long hair of tlie " 6oss," and ssvering a piece obhquely at 
the jiHiction of the neck and shoulders, — ^then parting the hide from neck 
to rump, a few passes of his ready knife laid bare the sides, — next paring 
away the loose skin and preparing a hold, witli one hand he pulled tlir« 
shoulder towards him and with the other severed it from the body; — cut- 
ting aslant the uprights of the spiiia dorsi and "hump ribs," along the late- 
ral to the curve, and parting the " fleece " from the tough flesh at that point 
he deposited it upon a clean grass-spot. 

The same process being described upon the opposite side, the carcase 
was then slightly inclined, and, by aid of the leg-bone bisected at the knee- 
joint, the " hump-ribs " were parted from the vertebrae ; after which, pass- 
ing his knife aside the ninth rib and around the ends at the midrifl) he laid 
hold of the dissevered side, and, v/ith two or three well directed jerks, re- 
moved it to be laid upon his choicely assorted pile ; a few other brief minu- 
tiae then completed the task. 

Meanwhile, divers of the company had joined tlie butcher, and, while 
some were greedily feeding upon liver and gall, others helped themselves 
to marrow-bones, "6om£?i?zs," and intestinum inedulce, (choice selections 
with mountaineers,) and others, laden with rich spoils, hastened their re- 
turn to commence the more agTeeable task of cooking and eating. 

The remaining animal was butchered in a trice, and select portions of 
e.tch were then placed upon a pack-horse and conveyed to the waggons. 

The assortment was, indeed, a splendid one. The " depouille " (fleece- 
fat) was full two inches thick upon the animal's back, and ^e other dainties 
were enough to charm the eyes and excite the voracity of an epicure. 

The camp-fires soon presented a busy and amusing spectacle. Each 
.jne was ornamented with delicious roasts, e?i appolas, on sticks planted 
a;^.lope around it, attentively watched by the longing voyageurs, who await- 
ed the slow process of cooking. Some were seen with tMn slices from the 
".Mrder, barely heated through by the agency of a few coals, retreating from 
the admiring throng to enjoy solo their half-cooked morsels, — others, paring 
oiT bit by bit from tlie fresh-turned hissing roasts, while their opposite re- 
ceived tlie finishing operation of the fire, — and others, tossing their everted 
bondins into the flames, and in a few seconds withdrawing for the repast, 
each seizing his ample share, bemouthed the end in quick succession to 
66, or the chosen esculent, which, while yielding to the eager teeth, coursed 
miniature rivulets of oily exuberance from tlie extremities of the active 
. rifice, bedaubing both face and c]iin, and leaving its dehghted eater in all 
the glories of grease ! 

Every man had now become his own cook, and, not to be backward, I 
t'losed in with the overture. 

Seizing a frying-pair replete with tempting levies from the " fleece," I 




'li'lliifpp-' 



:":if.i)iii!;5"^:iii'^!r;!ii!ii; 



BRA-DY'S ISIJ^ND. e» 

twice subjected it to its duty, and as often its delicious contents found am- 
ple store-house ; and even yet my longing appetite seemed loth to cry 
"hold, enough!" ^ , 

The agreeable odor exhaled from the drippings of tlie fr3dng flesh, con- 
tained in the pan, invited the taste, — a temptation claiming me for its sub- 
ject. Catching up the vessel, a testing sip made way for the whole of its 
contents, at a single draught,—full six gills ! Strange as it may seem, I 
did not experience the least unpleasant feehng as the result of my extraor- 
dinary potation. 

The stomach never rebels against buflaio-fat. Persona, subsisting en- 
tirely upon the flesh of these animals, prefer an assortment of at least on© 
tl.'ird sohd depouille. 

The voyageur is never more satisfied than when he has a good supply 
of buflalo-beef at his command. It is then his greasy visage bespeaks 
content, and his jocund voice and merry laugh evince the deep-felt pleasure 
and gratification that reign within. 

Talk not to him of the dehcacies of civiHzed life,--of pies, puddings, 
Boups, fricasees, roast-beef, pound-cake, and desert, — ho cares for none of 
.hose things, and will laugh at your verdancy ! 

He knows his own preference, and will tell you your boasted excellencies 
ire not to be compared with it. If you object to the sameness of his sim 
p^e fare, he will recount tlie several varieties of its parts, and descant 
upon each of their peculiar merits. He will illustrate the numerous and 
dissimilar modes of so preparing them, that they cannot fail to excite by 
their presence and appease by their taste the appetite of the most fasti- 
dious. And then, in point of liealih^ there is nothing equal to buffalo-meat 
It. alone, will cure dyspepsy, prevent consumption, amend a broken const'.- 
ii.tion, put flesh upon tiie bones of a skeleton, and restore a dead man again 
io life ! — if you will give credence to one half of the manifold virtues he 
carefully names in your hearing. 

Oct. I4th. We were early en rmUe, and made some twenty miles. 
Our hunter, during the day, rejoined tlie caravan, laden with the best por- 
tions of three other fat cows, to add to the fund of life and good humor en- 
. joyed by each. 

Late in the afternoon, we made camp opposite a heavily wooded island, 
( ailed Brady's Island, in memory of a man, so named, who was murdered 
apon it by his companion some eight years ago. 

The two were connected with a boat, laden with furs, on its passage to 
the States. They had frequently quarrelled, and were generally uoon 
otlierwise bad terms. On the day of the fatal occurrence, they were left 
alone in camp by the rest of the boat's crew, who went in quest of 
buflalo. At their return, Brady was found lying in his blood, — kill- 
ed, as his companion affirmed, by the accidental discharge of his own 
rifle. 

The tale vras received quite doubtingly, and its listeners were only de- 
terred from the execution of summary \ engeance upon the murderer by 
thought of the bare possibiUty of its truth. 

The body of the unfortunate man was buried near the spot^— but being 
tnbiequenuy disinterred by the v/olves, his bones were left to ble^xh and 



70 THE MURDERER'S FATE. 

moulder in the sun and rains of heaven. Some of them were lying scat- 
tered near by, upon our arrival, wiiich were collected by the sympathizirm 
voyageurs, who bestowed upon them those rites of sepulture they had 
been so long and cruelly denied. 

The reader will naturally enquire, what became of the supposed mur- 
derer ? His was a fearful retribution, — a mournful tale of sufiering, worse 
than death, till death itself in pity came to liis relief. 

Soon after the melancholy incident previously related, the shallowness 
of the Platte river compelled the company to abandon their boat, and make 
the best of their way to the States on foot, — a distance of two hundred and 
fifty miles to the nearest inhabitants, either Indian or white. 

Their provisions ruiming short, and no game at hand, a separation waa 
had about midway of their journey, and each one hurried to its termination 
as rapidly as possible. The murderer, being but an indifterent walker, was 
soon left far in the rear. 

His comrades, on their arrival at the PaAvnee village, sent two Indians 
to bring him in, and continued their course to Council Bluffs. 

Nothing further was known of the subject of our sketch, till some eight 
or nine days subsequent, when a small party of engages in the employ of 
the American Fur Company, on passing the Pawnee village, were met by 
the head-chief, who requested them to visit a white man lying sick nt liis 
lodge. 

They went. He was the murderer, at the point of death. His storj' 
was briefly told. 

The night succeeding the departure of liis companions, in an attempt to 
light a fire with his pistol, to disperse by its smoke the myriads of mus- 
qnetoes that swarmed around and nearly devoured him, an unknown charge 
it contained was lodged in his thigh-bone — severing it to a tliousand pieces. 
In this condition he lay helpless. To walk was impossible ; — he could 
scarcely move, far less dress his wounds in a proper marmer. He man- 
aged, however, to atfix a piece of red flamiel to an upright stick, to teU the 
transient traveller the site of his supposed last resting place, then, crawl- 
ing with difficulty to the river-side, he remained six days and nights — tor- 
mented by musquitoes, reduced by pain, and wasted by continued hunger, 
till scarcely the wreck of manhood was left him. 

It was then he longed for death to terminate liis agony. Still he could 
not endure the thoughts of dying. 

Early in the morning of the seventh day, his ear caught the indistinct 
murmur of sounds. Were they human voices ? — No, he must be dream- 
ing. He hears them again. It is no dream ; — they are human voices ! 

They approach. Is it to his assistance ? 

O'erjoyed he beholds two Pawnees bending- over him, with compassion 
pictured expressively upon their countenances. They gave him meat,- 
they dressed his wounds, and did everytliing in their power to alleviate lii.'' 
misery. 

Oh, say not there is no pity in the bosom of the red man ! 

Having constructed a rude litter of poles, and using their own robes for 
his bed, Uiey carefully conveyed him upon their shoulders to the place he 
yot occupied. 

But the care of sympathizing attendants failed to atone for previous nejr 



GAME m CAMP. 71 



lect. Mortification had already taken place, and death claimed him for a 
yictim. He expired in the presence of those whom the good chief had 
called to his bed-side ; — but, before his tongue refused to speak, he con- 
iesaed the murder of Brady, and owned the justice of his punishment in 
all the untold miseries he had been compelled to endure. 
"Vengeance is mine, and I will repay it, saith the Lord!" 

On resuming our journey the road gradually bore towards the hills upon 
the left, (wliich presented an outline of conical eminences, rising, as the 
traveller advances, to an elevation of four or five hundred feet,) and finally 
crossed them at the point of an angle formed near the confluence of the 
two great forks of the Platte, upon the east side ; from thence, descending 
to the opposite bottom, we reached a timberless spring and made camp 
soon after nightfall. 

The lack of wood at this place was readily met by the great abun- 
dance of hois de vache, (bufl!alo-chips,) the common substitute of the 
prairies ; and, in a brief interval, the camp-fires were merrily blazing, with 
all the appliances of cookeiy about them. 

Early the next morning, our hunter rejoined the caravan, bringmg with 
him the spoils of two more cows. He had passed the night upon the 
prairie alone, without coat or blanket, or anything to screen him from the 
bleak autumn winds, that swept over the naked plains, dancing their dirges 
to the dying year. 

The sky gave evidence of an approaching storm, and we hastily started 
in quest of some more sheltered spot in which to weather it. A few miles 
brought us to tlie river, and, availing ourselves of a small supply of drift 
wood, we made halt. 

The combustibles the vicinity afforded were soon collected, and the camp- 
fires imparted their generous warmth despite the falling rain. Nor were 
I hey permitted to remain long unembellished by the numerous kettles, 
irying-pans, and roas ting-sticks at command. 

I here enjoyed full test of some of the many varieties of mountain fare 
hitherto so freely enlarged upon by our voyageurs, — wliich, as they now 
asserted, would make a man " shed rain like an otter, and stand cold like a 
polar bear !" — quaintly adding, " if he could always live upon such * didins,' 
he need never dieT 

I must in justice confess that the real merits of our present " bill of 
tiare," by far exceeded my previous expectations. 

The rain continued till near night ; but little did we care. The choicest 
the prairie afforded, was now before us, and, rain or shme, we were con- 
tented. Sound in health and buoyant in spirits, we fully enjoyed ourselves, 
despite the frowning elements. 

A little before sundown, the rain subsided into a tliick fog, and an dd 
bull, in the consequent obscui-ity, straggled close upon camp. 

The abrupt passage of a rifle-ball tiirough his hghts, was his %xhifuline 
sense of the presence of danger. The affi-ighted customer then retreats 
a few steps, and, faUing, surrendered himself to the resistless power of 
cold lead. 

A large band of cows also made their appearance, in the same 
and our hunter struck out to waylay them. 



72 STRANGE INFATUATION. 



Pennitting the unwitting animals to advance within good shooting dis- 
tance, a discharge from Iiis rifle brought down one of their number. The 
band then recoiled slightly ; but, snuffing the odor of blood, they returned 
immediately to their prostrate companion. 

This was enough, — a charm now riveted them to the spot, — a strange 
infatuation had seized upon them. They began by spurning the ground 
VAth their feet, — then, bellowing, gored the fallen beast, as if forcing her to 
rise, — then, rolling upon the grass, in demonstrative sympathy, — and, now 
that she had ceased to struggle and lay yet quivering in death, they licke 
her bleeding wounds and seemed to exercise a kind of m.ournful rivalr} 
in the bestowraent of their testimonials of aflection. 

She is encircled by her companions. An eflbrt to approach from without 
is resisted by those within. A fight ensues, and all becomes confusion. 
Each turns agamst her neighbor, and continues the strife till the space 
around the carcase is again vacated ; whereupon a general rush once more 
centers to the spot, and all unite tc react the former scene. 

In this manner they persisted in their frenzied devotion to the fallen one, 
<i3 if determined to restore her to life and action, or perish by her side. 

Meanwhile the hunter's rifle had been busily employed. But they heeded 
it not. Four more of their number lay gasping in death upon the en- 
sangained ground ; and still they seemed no more disposed to leave 
the scene of slaughter than at first. Sixteen successive shots were fired, 
each bearing blood, w^ounds and death, and yet the spell was no nearer 
broken. 

It was a spectacle vested with melancholy animation. The pawing 
goring, bellowing, licking of wounds, and struggles of rival afliection, re 
mained the same, with no visible abatement of their vehemency. 

The sun had set, and the sable hue of twilight empalled the blood-dank 
Blaughter-ground. The death-dealing rifle had ceased its sharp crack, and 
the gore-scenting wolves, half starved and eager for their supposed prey, 
came flocking upon every side, mmgjing their v/obegone bowlings with 
the piteous moans of the spell-bound herd, and the loud whistUngs of the 
prairie winds, — and yet, they lingered. 

At last the impatient hunter advanced. More aflTrighted at the presence 
of man than the companionship of death, thoy now gave way, and reluc- 
tantly left the field to him, who had so unfeelingly occasioned their burtlien 
of mourning and Woe ; — still, ever and anon stopping to gaze, as if longing 
to return and die with those they loved ! 

All hands were now summoned to aid at the work of butchery ; but tlie 
fast-enskrouding darkness soon drove us back to camp, leaving the task 
not half completed. 

Our withdrawal from the premises was the signal for possession by the 
eager wolves, whose ceaseless yelpings the livelong night, made the gloomy 
interval doubly dismal. By morning, notiiing but bones and thick pieces 
o" skin marked the scene of their recent reveilings! 

Thus early, I had learned, that to approach buffalo with success, the hunter 
siiould carefully maintain the leeward, such being their remarkable sensi- 
tiveness, they will sooner flee from tbe smell than the sight of a man 
Their sense of imell with the wind, in fact, far exre*:ds their 8Copf> "* 



BIG JM'S FOURTH ADVENTURE. 73 



fiflion. It is so extremely acutCj that even tiie fresh footsteps of a man, 
croBsinff their path, are to them a sure cause of alarm and flight. 

Of all tfie diversities of game indigenous to the mountains and prairies 
of the great West, witli the exception, perhaps, of the grizzly bear, no 
animal is more tenacious of life than the buffalo. To shoot it in the head, 
is an inane effort. No rifle can pi oject a ball with sufficient force to per- 
forate the thick hair and hide to its brain, through tho double scull-bone 
that protects it. A paunch shot is equally vain. The only sure points for 
the marksman are, the heart, lights, kidneys, or vertebrae ; and even then 
the unyielding victim not unfrequently escapes. 

Buffalo, wounded in the skirts of the lights, have been known to live for 
several days afterwards. 1 have witnessed their escape, even after the re- 
ception of fifteen bullet-wonnds, and most of them at «uch points as would 
have proved fatal to almost any other animal. 

In the summer of '43, 1 myself killed one of them, that had been shot 
through the pussy surface at the buU of tkr lieart, apparently four or five 
days previous, which doubtless would have recovered had it remained un- 
molested. 

A gun, suitable for killing this kind of game, should never carry to ex- 
ceed forty balls to the pound— a lesser bore would be almost entirely use- 
less. The distance generally required for a shot, tlie smaliness of the 
ball, its liability to variation from the wind, with its failure to " hold up " 
and retain its force, contribute to render the use of such a piece little else 
than idle waste of ammunition. 

Oct, llth. The sun arose bright and clear, and with its first appearance 
the caravan was in motion Proceeding up the South Fork some ten miles 
we halted for breakfast, and made arrangements for fording the stream. 

Near us lay the carcase of one of the cows wounded on the previous 
evening, and as yet scarcely dead. She had travelled thus far after being 
shot in the hghts. 

Our crossing was efiected with little difficulty, but occupied till late in 
the afternoon. The river was full a mil 3 wide and very shallow, with a 
Boft sandy bed, requiring the strength ol all the united teams to each wag- 
gon. The day proved cold, and the water was like an application of ice to 
the naked skin. Our teamsters, who were compelled to cross and recross, 
some dozen times, felt in not the best humor, and were better pleased than 
any one else at the termination of their unpleasant task. 

Having safely gained the opposite bank, we travelled up the river five 
or six miles, and halted for the night. 

During our course tlie bottoms upon either side presented one dense, 
interminable band of buflaio, far as the eye could reach. The whole prairie 
pictured a living mass, moved by im})u!sive dread, as the breeze heralded 
our approach, and the countless multitude made way before and on either 
band. 

Ever and anon, an old bull would linger, as if to intimidate, and not un- 
frequently venture within gun-shot. One fellow, in particular, passed side- 
long, tor a mile or more, stopping at intervals to gaze upon us, shaking his 
shaf gy head in defiance, as much as to say, " you dare not come near !' 

Big Jim saw this, and hia pride was wounded. The bull, in his opinion 
7 



74 RARE POLTTfiNESS. 



had challenged the whole party, and there wse no one stout-hearted enoagb 
to accept it. 

Here was a chance for a full display of his bravery and skill. Ever 
Bince we had reached the buffalo range, his p*oud spirit had yearned to be- 
come the death of some one of these terrible r.ionsters, that he might relate 
the deed of perilous exploit to wondering posterity, and incite the rising 
generation to emulate his noble achievement. 

But, alas, for the fadeless laurels he might otherwise imve won, in an 
evil hour bis rifle had been sacrificed for- the extermination of a huge, 
venomous serpent. He did the deed at one fell blow ; — brave, but unfortu 
,nate ! Yet he had one consolation amid his troubles, — no victory is ever 
gained witiiout some loss to the conquerors. 

Still, he needed his gun, for without it how was he to avenge the foul 'u- 
sult the tav'ge beast of the prairie was even now hurling in the very face of 
the shriniving- cowd ? Something must be done. 

With ti>8:-.e cogitations, an idea struck him, — he could borrow a rifle ; 
80, advancing to a comrade, he exclaimed : 

"Do lend me your rifle one minute !" 

" Yes, Jim," was the ready reply. " But see you don't break it over the 
first paltry little snake you come across !" 

" That's a lie. 'Twas a big rattle-snake I broke mine over. 'Twasn't 
a l^iiry little snake !" 

Thus, vindicating his assaulted reputation, he took the gun and hastened 
to prostrate the impudent barbarian inviting attack. 

Jim looked at the bull, and the bull looked at Jim, — shaking his head, and 
throwing the loose sand from beneath him high' into the air with his feet, 
and goring the ground vv^ith his horns of burnished ebony. If the creature 
had looked terrible before, he now looked fourfold more so, in Jim's estima^* 
tion. 

Thinkini: caution the parent of safety, our hero was unwilling to venture 
further, and so, prostrating himsell' at iuU length behind a clustre of 
abainthe, (page,) he planted his battery, ha\ing his high-crowned hat for a 
rest, and blazed away at the bull's head. 

The hardened wretch stood the shot without flinching. Looking for a 
moment at the spot from whence the strange salute had proceeded, and 
again sliakino- iiis head and snorting with scorn, he wheeled and slowly 
trotted Dfl^. 

Eager to get a secona trial to finish the work so nobly begun, our hero 
commenced puj-suit. Seeing him advancing, the bull thought it time to 
show his heels, and in a few minutes was lost in the distance. 

The courageous Nimrod now, for the first time, bethought him of hia 
hat, which, in the ardo:- of his bold charge, he had left at tiie spot chosen 
as his stand to hurj death and destruction to the naughty bull. He 
hastened to regain it— but no hat could be found ; — the winds had borne it 
far away over the prairie, to be worne out in search of a wearer, and the 
unlucky bravo, hatiess, rejoined the caravan. 

Here the truth at once flashed upon the minds of the waggish dique, 
that had hitherto proved his sore annoyance, and they began anew : 

" Now that beats me, clear out I How came you to give the bull yew 
hat and leave yourself bare-headed ? That's another wrinkle V' 



SCENERY AT Arill CREEK. 75 

« It's no such thing," said Jim. " The wind took it away ;— and h\ 
none of your business neither. I paid for it .'" 

"True. But what did the wind want with your hat? Sure, if i' 
needed a foot-ball, to toss over the prairies, it would have taken your head, 
the lightest of the tvi: '.'' 

" You're a fool !" retorted Jim indignantly. 

"There, now. That's the time you cotcht it, my boy. Why, fellow, 
Mr. Jeems took ofi' his hat, out of pure politeness, — to win the good opinion 
of tlie bull. He were right. Dicu't you see how the gentleman-cow 
boiced and scraped in turn. Why, he tkroto'd the dirt dean over his back, 
not to be outdone in good breeding! Ab, but ^lie pesky wind ! Wl^i^^ 
Mr. Jeems were showing his brotten up, w^hat had it to do, but to snatch 
'lis hat and run off ivith it ! Mr. Jeems are no fool ! and the feller what 
says he am, — (1 want you all to understand me ; Mr. Jeems have been 
most shamefully abused and misused, and I can whip the chaps w];at'? 
done it — provided they'll let me ; — I say, then, I want you all to understand 
me !) Mr. Jeems are no fool, and the man what says he am — is, — (I can't 
think of words bad enough,)— is— is, as near the mark as though he'd 
drove centred' 

" Aye. Jim's right. You are all a pack of dough-heads to make fun 
of him in the way you do. Suppose you'd be struck comical ! Then 
what'd ye think of yourselves !" 

" Poor Jim. Shoot grass, kill horse, break gun, burn shoe, scorch foot, 
and go bare-headed ! Wat him mean ?" 

" I say, Jkn. When 're going a hunting ag-ain ? — 'case I want to go 
'long too !" 



CHAPTER VI. 

Ash Creek. — Pawnee and Sioux battle-^ound. — Bread-root, — ^The Eagle's Nest- 
Mad wolf, — Number and variety of prairie wolves, — their sagacity. — Mad bull. — 
Making and curing meat. — Big Jim still unfortunate. — Johnson's creek. — McFar- 
lan's Castle, — Deceptiveness of distances. — Express from the Fort, — Brave Bear. — 
Bull Tail.— TiUt viith the Indians.— Speech of Marto-cogershne.— Reply,— Tah- 
tungah-sana's address. 

^Oct I8th. Bearing to the right, over a high undulating prairie, W6 
struck the North Fork of the Platte, after a drive of about twelve miles, 
and continuing up its left bank a short distance, camped for the tl ght at 
the mouth of Ash Creek. 

The stream at this place is a broad bed of sand, entirely dry, except in 
the spring months. Higher up, however, it affords a generous supply of 
pure running v/ater, sustained by the numerous feeders that force meir 
way into it from the high grounds dividing the two rivers. 

The valley is of variable width, and well timbered with beautiful ajsh 
groves, from which the creek derives its name. Here are also found seve- 
td varieties of wild fruit indigenous to the mountains. As a wbvle i* 



7« BREAD-ROOT.- I'lIE EA(iLE'S NEST 

presents to the eye a pretty flower-garden, walled in by huge pilei a*" 
argillaceous rock, and watered by murmuring streamlets whose banks are 
ornamented with shade trees and shubbery. 

Near camp had been the scene of a fierce and bloody battle between the 
Pawnees and Sioux, in the winter of 1836. The affray commenced early 
m the morning, and continued till near night. A trader, who was present 
with the Sioux, on the occasion, describes it as having been remarkably 
close. Every inch of ground was disputed — now the Pawnees advancing 
upon the retreating Sioux ; and now the Sioux, while the Pawnees gave 
way ; but, returning to the charge with redoubled fury, the former once 
more recoiled. The arrows flew in full showers, — the bullets whistled the 
death-song of many a warrior, — the yells of combating savages filled tlie 
air, and drowned the lesser din of arms. 

At length arrows and balls were exhausted upon both sides, — but sull 
the battle raged fiercer than before. 

War-club, tomahawk and butcher-knife were bandied with terrific force, 
as the hostile parties engaged hand to hand, and the clash of resounding 
blows, commingling with the clamor of unearthly voices which rent the 
very heavens, seemed more to prefigure the contest of fiends than aught 
else. 

Finally the Pawnees abandoned the field to their victorious enemies, 
leaving sixty of their warriors upon the ensanguined battle-ground. But 
the Sioux had paid dearly for their advantage ; — forty-five of their bravest 
men lay mingled with the slain. The defeated party were pursued only a 
short distance, and then permitted to return witliout further molestation to 
their village, at the Forks of the Platte. 

This disaster so completely disheartened the Pawness, they immediately 
abandoned their station and moved down the river some four hundred 
miles, — nor have they again ventured so high up, unless in strong war- 
parties. 

About the same time the village on Republican fork of Kansas was also 
abandoned, and its inhabitants united with the Loups. 

The evidences of this cruel death-har\'est were yet scattered over the 
prairie, whose bones an3 sculls looked sad, indeed. One of the latter was 
noticed, near camp, with a huge wasp's nest occupying the vacuum once 
filled by the subtle organs of intellect. Strange tenant, truly, of a human 
scull, — but, perhaps, not an unfit antitype of the fierce passions that 
whilom claimed it as their dwelling place. 

A specimen of the bread-root, (psoralea esculenta,) was procured from 
the creek-bank by one of the voyageurs. This is very common in the vicinity 
of the mountains, and attains a size from twenty to thirty inches in circum- 
ference. It is taprooted, and generally prefers the rich sandy soil of bot- 
toms and ravines,— not unfrequently penetrating to the depth of five or six 
feet. In shape, it is much like the common beet. Its exterior is covered 
with a thick ligument of tough fibres, curiously interwoven, enveloping a 
white pulpy substance, which is very sweet and pleasantly tasted. 

The day following we proceeded some twenty miles, and camped at a 
place called the Eagle's Neat. 




The War Eagle. — Page 79, 



WOLV£S,."THEIR SAGACITY. T9 

A few scattering trees at the right of the bottom, here mark the transi- 
tion to the high prairie. One of these was the war-eagle's eyry, upon 
which she rears her annual brood, and teaches it to soar far away, or levy 
tribute from the surrounding wilderness. 

The proud buxi of Jove was yet sailing aloft, in silent majesty, almost lost 
to vision in the long space of intervening blue that told the grandeur of her 
flight ; and, tinged with the purple and gold of the setting sim, she seemed 
looking down with a jealous eye upon the unwonted invaders of he 
earthly home. A few light clouds, garnished with day's departing glor^ 
danced athwart the western sky, as the full moon arose, hastening to re 
enter her nightly pathway, and course amid the array of glittering worlds 
and smile upon the wide realms of SoUtude ; — while countless herds Or: 
grazing bumlo covered the prairies on either side of the broad and silent 
river ; and naught met the listening ear, save the dolesome hooting of the 
midnight owl, as she resumed her nocturnal ditty, to enhance me deep 
melancholy of loneliness ; or the shrill whistlings of the prairie-winds, as 
they sported in mirtli and chanted their requiems to the dying year ; or the 
terrific bellowings of the hoarse-toned bison, the softening cadence of whose 
voices soimded trebly mournful as it swept far along and became lost in 
the distance ; or yet, the dismal howhngs of the half-starved wolves, that 
gathered by scores upon every hill-top and renewed, in more piteous accents, 
their ceaseless concert ; — all these united to invest the scene, so magnifi- 
cent in itself, with a savage wildness, at once incitive of terror and admi- 
ration. 

In our progress during the day I remarked, at frequent intervals, bare 
places coated with saline efflorescences, and occasional plats of fine bluish 
grass, (herba salee,) — appearances quite common from this onward. 

Our night slumbers were disturbed by the quick discharge of firearms, 
which instantly brought every man to his feet, rifle in hand. The cause 
of this alarm was the appearance of a mad wolf among the caravan ani- 
mals, and several shots were fired before the guard could despatch him. 
He proved one of the largest of his species, and looked fearful as his 
blood-red eyeballs and foaming mouth were exposed by the camp-fire. 

In the morning it was ascertained he had bitten nine head of horses and 
cattle. 

The buflalo range aflbrds every variety of wolves, common to the moun- 
tains and regions still further west Of these tliere are five distinct classi- 
fications, viz : The big white, or buffalo wolf ; the shaggy brown ; the 
black ; the gray, or prairie wolf ; and the cayeute, (wa-chunika-monet,) or 
medicine-wolf of the Indians. 

The white and brown wolves are the most cumerous, and follow the 
buffalo in bands of hundreds, subsisting upon the carcases of such as (tie 
of themselves or are slaughtered as their necessities demand. 

These wolves behave with great sagacity in their predatory operations^ 
and appear to exercise a perfect understanding and concert of action with 
each other on such occasions. First, stationing themselves by files ak 
given distances along the course their intended victim is expected to run, 
^0 or more of them enter the herd of unconscious bufi^o, and^ wTig ling 



80 A MAD BULL. 



out the fattest one, drive it to the track at which their companioiis awav 
to tate part in the grand race. This done, the victim is made to run 
the gauntlet between two rows of wolves. As it advances, others join 
their fresh numbers to the chase, till at length, tired down and exhausted 
in strength, the ill-fated animal falls ready prey to their greediness. The 
poor creature is first hamstrung to prevent its escape, and then literally 
aevoured alive ! 

The black wolf is seldom met with in these parts. It nearly equals the 
white and brown in size, and is fully as large as the common cur-dog. 

The prairie wolf is not more than half the size of the above mentioned, 
and much less ferocious. Its color is of a dark gray, and its fur quite 
soft and fine. 

The cayeute or medicine-wolf compares with the common feist, and is 
of a grayish color, much like that of the wild rabbit of the States. Its 
fur is fine and thick, and might be turned to good account for the manu- 
facture of caps, muffs, &c. 

The Indians cherish many superstitious notions in regard to this ani- 
mal, and hold it in great veneration. They consider it as the messenger 
employed by the Great Spirit, on special occasions, to herald the approach 
of events interesting to the welfare of his red children, and for that reason 
they are never known to harm or molest it. 

Just at dayhght, a large band of buffalo crossed the river nearly oppo- 
site to camp. It was headed by an old bull, that led the way, ^runting 
and bellowing as he advanced, as if in mock personation of the b'ugieman ot 
a corps of cavalry. Some three or four hundred cows and calves fol- 
lowed, side by side, with marked and regular tread, like platoons of infantry 
marching in set step to music, presenting a truly comical exhibition. 

A voyaseur seized his rifle and saluted with its contents the music- 
master and captain-general of the advancing army, as he was about to ascend 
the river bank. In an instant the whole detachment to " right about 
face," and retreat precipitately to the rearward shore, with no other 
music than the clatter of hoofs and the splashing of water, or order than 
the confused rivaby for speedy escape from the unexpected presence oi 
Jr. 



OcL ^Oth. Resuming our course, during the forenoon, the strange de- 
portment of a buffalo bull near the trail arrested attention. 

He was running in a circle, at the height of his speed, and narrowing 
its sphere at each gyration. Several of us rode out to him, — but he slUl, 
continued, (with frothing mouth and protruding tongue, swollen to the 
-almost distention of his jaws, roUing eye-balls, Uke globes of clotted gore; 
and bellowing for pain,) following the fast-decreasing Uraits of his strange 
course, regardless of our presence. 

He soon commenced whirling round and round, with faltering, hall 
stumbling steps, and finally fell prostrate before us, apparently in the last 
paroxysm of mortal agony. In vain he struggled to rise, while his tongue 
bled from between his jaws, chafed in fruitless effort to close them, and hia 
head, keeping time witii the convulsive throes of his fast-waning strength; 
tore up tiie prairit-iod and lashed the ground io the mad fury of effort. 



BIG JIM STILL UNFORTUNATE. 81 



The spectacle was one of the most striking exhibitions of excruciating 
pain I ever witnessed. Even tlie rough mountaineers were excited te 
pity, and gladly alleviated his miseries by hastening his end. A friendly 
DuUet put a period to his sufferings, and placed him far beyond the reach 
of summer's heat and winter's cold, mad wolves and all the inexpressible 
horrors of hydrophobia. 

At our noon encampment we commenced the process of " making 
meat," preparatory to passing a long distance devoid of game ; and, as the 
reader may be anxious to know what kind of an operation this is, I will 
explain. It consists simply in cutting into tliin slices the lx)neless parts 
of buffalo, or other meat, and drying tliem in the wind or sun. Meat thus 
cured may be preserved for years without salt. Ropes of raw hide were 
stretched around the waggons, upon which the results of our labor were 
left to the finishing effects of the wind and sun as we proceeded, — ^thus 
making an important saving in the item of time. 

It is astonishing how long a time fresh meat may be kept without injury, 
upon the grand prairies, in dry weather, when it receives the free access 
of air. Some of that killed on our first arrival among buffalo was yet 
hanging to the waggons, as sweet and sound as ever. I have known it to 
be preserved, in this way, for ten or twelve days in the heart of summer. 
Meat, packed in snow, while in a frozen state, may be retained fresh for 
months without injury. I have known an instance of its being thus kept 
from January till June. The air is so pure and dry, it requires but Utue 
effort to preserve meat, for any requisite length of time, almost at any 
season of the year. 

Our hunter, having proceeded in advance of the waggons during the 
afternoon, was overtaken about sundown at a place selected for night- 
camp, which he had ornamented with the carcases of three cows, — and 
there again, was soon witnessed another display of rare feasting, such as 
mountaineers alone know how to appreciate and enjoy. 

The night proved cold and uncomfortable, and the bright-glowing camp 
fires presented most captivating inducements to the shivering sentinels, as 
they paced their dreary rounds, to step within its cheering influence. Big 
Jim, who was on the third " relieve," thought it too bad he should be com- 
pelled to suffer so much from cold, while a nice warm fire was permitted 
to waste its kind heat upon the bleak air of night, without so much as one 
to enjoy its beneficence. 

No, it v/ould not do. " Why mayn't I just as well stand guard at the 
fire, as elsewhere ? I can, I'm sure. I'll stand this time, and not lay as I 
did before, and then there'll be no danger of falling asleep and burning 
one's self; nor'U they have the chance to twit me about lying guard and 
burning shins. I'll head 'em this time, and they wont know the differ- 
ence." 

So saying, he approached the fire, and, giving it a kick, extended his 
hands towards its blaze, — ever and anon rubbing them together and then 
again spreading them to receive its pleasing warmth ; then tuming his 
back to partake alike of its comforting influences and obviate the jealousy 
Uiat might otherwise bo engendered between front and reai. 



82 JOHNSON'S CRSES. 



Now, he stands attent, — he hears something move. He stretches himself 
U) his full height, on tip-toe, and gazes in the black envelope of surround 
ing night, made doubly obscure in contrast with the refulgence of the 
camp-fire. 

" How dark it has grown !" said Jim. " What can it be ? Wonder if 
it's Indians. Pooh ! it's nothing but the wind. Bless me, I can't see the 
use of a poor devil's standing guard on such a dark night as this ! (step- 
ping backward still nearer the fire,) he can't see nothing, if he does. 
Feugh, — what is it smells so ? (turning round.) Good gracious, how hot 
my back is !" 

The mystery of Jim's present predicament is easily explained. The 
skirts of his jeans coat, having come in contact with the wind-tossed flames, 
caught fire, and were burned to the shoulders before he was aware of the 
accident. The garment was rendered entirely useless, and even his panta- 
loons were buint to his skin, in several places. 

Jim began to think it as bad to stand as to lay guard, and concluded 
that, of tlie two, fire was more dangerous than Indians ; — for, one thing 
was certain, the Indians had never yet injured him, but he could not say as 
much of Jire ! 

In the morning, as may be supposed, our hero's last mishap was the 
proUfic subject of comment, and the wags were promptly on the alert to 
amuse themselves still further at his expense : 

" Say, would you believe it ! — That's the way Jim 's hit upon to shine in 
this crowd,-^he burns up his old coat to make a light /" 

." Ah, ha ! So he means to shine by the light of his old clothes, and 
come it over us in an underhand manner ! Jim, that '11 never do ; — I tell 
you, once for all." - 

" Wonder if he wont burn up himself next ?" 

" He ? No. He's too green and mppy to bum himself, and so he takes 
his old clothes !" 

" Poor Jim. Shoot grass, kill horse, break gun, burn shoe, scorch foot, 
lose hat, stick coat in him fire ! Poor fellow. No can do without Jim, 
no how." 

The third day succeeding the last mentioned adventure, we passed a 
stream, called by the traders Johnson's creek, in memory of a man by that 
name who was murdered in its vicinity, several years since, by the 
Indians. 

He was a missionary, and on his way to Oregon, with a party headed by 
one John Gray. As they were about to raise camp, one morning, a band 
of Yanktau-Sioux came charging over the hills, and preparations were 
made to resist them. Such a course Mr. Johnson felt scrupulous of acced- 
ing to, and stoutly protested against it, — affirming it to be wrong. 

As the savages approached, the ill-fated man stepped forAvard to meet 
them unarmed, despite the remonstrances of his comrades,— ^imagining the 
Indians would not kill him, as he was a missionary and had came to do 
them good. 

They, however, proved regardless of him or his intended good, and ha 
fell the victim of his own foolish credulity. Three Indians fell in the con 
flict that ensued, and he and they filled the same grave. 



THE BRAVE BEAR. 88 



Oct. 24th About noon we crossed Gonneville's creek, a large easterly 
affluent of the Platte. This stream also derives its name from a trapper, 
killed near it in an Indian fight, some eight years since. 

Upon the south bank of Gonneville's creek, ten or twelve miles from the 
river, is a singular natural formation, known as the Court House, or 
McFarlan's Castle, on account of its fancied resemblance to such a struc- 
«ture. It rises in an abrupt quadrangular form, to a height of three or 
four hundred feet, and covers an area of two hundred yards in length by 
one hundred and fifty broad. Occupying a perfectly level site in an open 
prairie, it stands as the proud palace of Solitude, amid her boundless do- 
mains. 

Its position commands a view of the country for forty miles around^ and 
meets the eye of the traveller for several successive days, in journe) ing 
up the Platte. We have been in sight of it for three days, and even now 
seem no nearer than at first, notwithstanding our course, meanwhile, has 
borne not far from a direct line towards it 

Here, for the first time, I remarked the deceptiveness of distances, on 
the high prairies and in regions adjacent to tlie mountains. Sometimes an 
object will appear as if within a mile, at most, which cannot be reached 
short of fifteen or twenty miles : then, again, objects will seem to be much 
further off^ than they really are. 

I attribute this, in part, to three several causes : — First, the variable state 
of the atmosphere, in regard to density. Second, the absence or plenitude 
of humid exhalations and effluvisB in the air of diflferent regions. Third, 
the peculiar locality of some places in regard to the reception of the sun's 
rays. 

In passing from Gonneville's creek to Fort Platte, we encountered no 
more buffalo, — these animals having been driven back into the high prairies 
by bands of strolling Indians. 

If the prospect had hitherto been lonesome, it now seemed threefold 
lonely. The liard-beaten footpaths that had furrowed the bottoms and 
plains, in all directions, ever since our first entrance to the bufialo range, 
were still seen ; but, unhonored by the presence and unmarked by the foot- 
prints of their whilom travellers, they looked like the once oft-trodden 
streets of some deserted city. 

Late in the afternoon we were joined by two engages from Fort Platte, 
whose object it was to hasten our advance. Soon after, we entered upon 
a stretch of burnt prairie, and were compelled to travel till daylight tlie 
next morning, before a sufficiency of grass could be found for a camping 
place. 

Oct. 25tli. Resuming our course about midday, we had proceeded only 
a few miles, when a mounted Indian appeared upon the opposite bank of 
the river, and accosted us : 

** Chay, cullo ! — Hanno chaum-pa-monet ha Mena-huska tour ?" (Tell 
me, friend ! — Are those the Long-knife'r" .vaggons ?) 

• Thw term seems to call for a word of explan. don. Our company was designat«4 
if the Indiani a> the Long-knife, or American compan7,~e term by which «^« 



84 BULL TAIL. 



On being answered in the affirmative, he commenced crossing to join us. 

Plunging into the river with his horse, he had proceeded about midway 
»f the stream, when the panting beast suddenly sank into the quicksand, 
throwing its rider head foremost into the water. At length, having effected 
a ford, he hurried up to us, profusely dripping with wet . as evidence of 
the thoroughness of his recent drenc-hing. 

First shaking hands with the company, he began to inquire about liquor, 
affirming the waggons contained that article, and adding, it was " right the 
Long-knife should bring the fire-water to give to the red man," as did the 
Bad-medicine, — but it was wrong to sell it. For his part he would not buy 
the fire-water. He would buy blankets, knives, beads, and ammunition, — 
not the fire-water ; but tlie Long-knife should give it to him. 

The personage thus introduced was one of the chiefs of the Brule- 
Sioux, and sported the name of Marto-cogershne, or Brave Bear. He was 
a turbulent fellow, that proved the pest of his village traders. Slim and 
spare-made in person, he was somewhat pale and sickly looking, and seemed 
about thirty years of age. His arms were a short fusee, with a bow and 
arrows slung to his shoulders, and a butcher-knife affixed to his belt. His 
hair was long, parted in front, and turned backwards ; that upon the occiput, 
being bound in a cluster with panther's skin, hung in a plated cue and 
almost trailed the ground, while a lone eagle's plume completed his head- 
dress. A robe enveloped his body, which, with moccasins, leggins, and 
breech-cloth, constituted his full costume, — a description of dress respond- 
ing to that almost universally common among mountain tribes. 

We were soon joined by others of his people, who eagerly enquired re- 
specting the amount of liquor brought with us. 

Among these were several individuals recognized by our voyageurs aa 
old acquaintances ; particularly one, an old chief called Bull Tail, (Tah- 
tunga-sana,; who was distinguished in attire from all his fellows by the 
addition of a hair-seal cap and a frock-coat, which he had received as pre 
sents from the whites. 

One of our party gave a favorable account of tlie old fellow, and related 
a story much, to his credit. 

The narrator, during the previous winter, while searching for stray horses 
among the hills, had become so bewildered he was unable to find his way 
back to camp. He thus wandered for four successive days, unarmed, witli 
out food, and with but a single robe for covering. His destiny would, 
doubtless, have been to perish, had not the kind hearted Tah-tunga-sana 
discovered him, and, pitying his forloni condition, taken him to the village, 
upon his own horse, some twenty miles off, going himself on foot the entire 
distance. Here, the lost one was treated to the best the lodge of his de- 
liverer afforded, and, when sufficiently recovered, he was escorted to the 
nearest station of the whites. 

I turned tor another look at the worthy chieftain, who now rode up 
and greeted his protege with much cordiality. 

Americans are known among them. The American Fur Company, employing almost 
•xcliuively Frenchmen, or individuals speaking the French language, receives th« 
appellation of Wah-ceicha, or the Bad-me<iicine company, — a phrase tuiiversaUy a|»- 
puod to tbe French among the moimtaiii tribes. 




Chief of the, Brul* Sioux. — Pas^ 84. 



SPEECH OF MARTO-COGERSHICB. 8t 

He appeared to be about aighty years of age, and was gray-headed, 
ipare-visaged, and much wrinkled. His coat, buttoned close around him, 
served for a robe, while his matted ear-locks disclosed upon the one side a 
raven's and upon the other a hawk's feather, for ornaments. His face, 
like those of his companions, was liberally bedaubed with vermilion; and 
each cheek embellished with alternate spots of white and black, by way of 
variety. His only weapons were a bow, arrows, and a tomahawk-pipe. 

As a whole, he presented rather a shabby and ludricrous appearance, 
that, were it not for the recollection of his worthy conduct, would have ex- 
cited, in the mind of the beholder, far more of contempt than interest. 

A Sioux squaw, the wife of a French engage, accompanying us on her 
return from the States, now received the marked attention of our visitors. 
It is rare that an Indian will shake hands with a woman ; but nov/, they 
might break through the restraints of custom ; this was a special case ; she 
had visited the white man's lodge, and could tell them many interesting 
things, — she was something more than a common squaw, — they might 
shake hands with her. She was accordingly greeted in a most flattering 
manner, and found tedious employment in answering the numerous ques- 
tions with which she was plied. 

Continuing for a few miles further, we made camp just at nightfall, and 
were promptly joined by a new recruit of inquisitive visitors, Irom an ad- 
joining Village. 

The whole throng of Indians now numbered some thirty, and demanded 
a " talk " with the Long-knife. Upon this a circle was formed, with the 
whites upon one side and Indians upon the other, when Marto-cogershne 
opened the harangue in behalf of his people. 

He commenced in a low, distinct tone of voice. His robe, dawn loosely 
Around him, was held to its place by the left hand, exposing his right arm 
and shoulder. As he proceeded he became more animated, and seemed to 
enter into the full spirit of his discourse. The modulatioiis of his voice 
its deep intonations and expressive cadences, coupled with a corresponding 
appropriateness of every look and gesture, presented one of the most per- 
fect specimens of delivery I ever witnessed. 

His speech, as imperfectly translated upon the occasion, ran as follows : 

" Long-knife : We are glad to see you — we are glad to see your people, 
and shake you all by the hand, that we may' smoke together and be 
friends. ^ 

" Long-knife : We are glad the Great Spirit has put it into your heart to 
return with "the road-travellers, (waggons,) and the white buffalo, (oxen,) 
and the medicine-dogs, (horses,) bearing fire-water, (whiskey,) blankets, 
and many other good things, ere yet the chill winds and snows have com- 
pelled His children to light the' lodge-fires of winter. The Long-knife 
Drings choice things to the red man, and it is good that we trade, (Ap- 
plause.) 

" The Great Spirit is good to His children. To us He has given the 
buffalo, the elk, the deer, and the antelope, that we may be fed and clothed, 
and furnished with lodges to shelter us Irom the storms and cold. To us 
He has given the mountains and prairies, for hunting grounds. For us He 
bAs taught the Btreams to flow, and planted trees upon their banks, to give 



88 THE REPLY. 

N 

as food and drink, that \ve may meet around our lodge-fires with comfort 
and rejoice in His goodness, even while he spreads his white robe upon the 
hills, and lays the couch of winter upon the plains. 

"All these— all this country — everything that the Long-knife beholds are 
ours. The Yellow-hair* said truly, — all, all belong to us ; — ^we have them 
— the Great Spirit has given them to us, — they are ours ! (Great ap- 
plause.) 

" Long-knife : You have come to trade with us : — it is good. Your 
people are wise, and make many things ; — you bring them to us, and we 
take them ; but we give you robes and horses in their stead ; — we pay you 
for them all. Yet, the Long-knife pays not for all he takes from us. 

" Do I say the Long-knile steals ? No. The Long-knife will not stea-. 
He says, none but bad men steal, and the Long-knife is not bad. But yet 
he takes our property without paying for it ! He kills our game, he eats our 
meat, he burns our wood, he drinks our water, and he travels our country, — 
and what does he give tlie red man in exchange for all this ? (Unbounded 
applause.) 

" Long-knife and friend : My people are generous, — they are brave, — 
they are all soldiers. The Long-knife bears the fire-water in his road 
ti-avellers, (waggons ;) — we have heard of it and are glad. 

" My people would drink of the fire-water that their strong hearts may 
become stronger. It is good that they should drink it, — it is good that the 
Long-knife should give it to them ; that we be twice glad to see him, and 
bless him in our hearts while we drink around our lodge-fires. (Ap- 
plause.) 

* Long-knife : Would you be our friend ? Then give us the fire-water. 
My people are generous, but they are brave. The Long-knife has taken 
our property, let him refuse not the fire-water, lest they be angry and rise 
like the mountain bear, nerved for conflict. Then will they take it of 
themselves and avenge the wrongs of the red man !" (Great applause.) 

Upon this, the Brave Bear resumed his seat, and the commandant began 
his reply, which was rendered into the Sioux language, by their inter- 
preter. The purport of it was : 

" It is true, the Great Spirit is good to His children. He made all things 
of which the Brave Bear speaks, and He has given them to his children. 
The white and the red man are alike his children ; the buffalo, the elk, the 
deer, and the antelope, with the wood, the water, and the whole country 
around, equally belong to both. 

" I and many people have come as friends, to trade with you. We have 
smoked with you before. The Long-knife takes nothing from you he pays 
not for. He buys the things he bears to you in a far distant countiy, and 
throws for them the white-iron.f He brings them to you and swaps tJiera 
for robes and horses. 

*^ He takes nothing without paying for it, unless it be that which the Great 
Spirit has given equally to his children, — the white and the red man. 

*Thi8 is the name applied, by the Indians, to Gen. Clarke, one of the leaders of the 
first party of whites that ever crossed the mountains. An allusion is here had to an 
expression made use of in hia talk to the Sioux on that occasion. 

t Silver. Thii phnat is the Sioux mode of expressing the act of Mtyiiic monoy 
for Any trtiele. 



TAH.TUNGA-SANA'S ADDRESS. 



" Would the Brave Bear and his people be friends to us ? We are Mend 
iy — we are generous. We will give tobacco to the Brave Bear, that he 
and his people may smoke and be our friends. But the Long-knife wiU 
not here give him the fire-water. Let him come to the Long-knife's lodge, 
then shall he have of it a little, that he may bless the Long-knife in his 
heart. The Bra\ e Bear can have none now. 

" The Brave Bear says, his people are generous, but they are brave, — they 
are all soldiers. Be it so. My people are generous, — they are brave — 
they are all soldiers ! Does the Brave Bear wish for fight ? My people are 
ready to either smoke or fight ! The Brave Bear says, unless I give him 
the fire-water for his people, they will ner\^e their arms for conflict, and 
take it ! Will they ? Let them try ! The Long-knife says, let them 
try .'" 

The conclusion of this reply was received with a bad grace by those to 
whom it was addressed, and created great excitement among them. Seve- 
ral left for the village, obviously for the purpose of arming and returning 
with increased numbers to the meditated attack. 

Meanwhile our arms were put in a proper condition for resistance, and 
all needful arrangements made to give the assailants a warm reception 
should they commence upon us. This done, our commandant brought a 
few plugs of tobacco, ar.d, laying them before the Brave Bear, said : 

" It is good that the Brave Bear and his people should smoke. Here ia 
tobacco, — let him take it to his warriors that we and they be friends ;— or 
would he rather fight?" 

Bull Tail (Tah-tunga-sana,) who had had hitherto remained silent, now 
arose and addressed his companions : 

"Tah-tunga-sana is grieved at the words of the Brave Bear. Would 
my brothers fight the Long-knife, and rob him of what he has brought to us, 
that they may become fools by drinking the fire-water ? 

" Who shall then bring us medicine-irons (guns) to kill our meat ; or 
knives to butcher it ; or blankets and beads for our squaws ; or the red- 
earth (vermilion) to paint our faces when we arm for war ? And, who 
shall bring us all the other things so needful for us ? 

"The Long-knife will not do it. You rob him. No one will bring them 
to us. We shall be without them ! We shall be poor indeed ! 

** Brothers : Why would you drink the fire-water, and become fools ? 
Would it not be better that tlie Long-knife no more bring it to us ? We 
give for it our robes and our horses ; — it does us no good. It makes us 
poor. We fight our own brothers, and kill those we love, because the fire- 
water is in us and makes our hearts bad ! The fire-water is the red man's 
enemy! 

"Brothers: Tah-tunga-sana is old; — will you listen to him. He has 
been always the friend of the pale-face. When first the Yellow-hair (Gen. 
Clarke) came to the red man's lodge, Tah-tunga-sana took him by the hand. 
He will always take the pale -face by the hand. He loves the pale-face. 
The pale-face is his brother, — he is our brother ! — He brings us many good 
things. 

" Brothers : The Long-knife has spoken well. It is good that we smoke, 
— that wt, and the Long-knife, and lus people may be tritnds. htX nt ae« 
«• 



»0 THE CHIMNEY. 

cept his present, and go to our lodges, and there tell to our cliildren bow 
kind the Long-knife is to the red man." 

The speech was received in silence, — no one expressing either approba* 
tion or dissent, as the old man resumed his seat. The Brave Bear hung 
his head sullenly, but said nothing. 

The talk had evidently come to a close. At last, Bull Tail arose, and, 
shaking hands with the commandant and each of the company, took the 
tobacco and left for the village. The others soon after, one by one, follow- 
ed his example, and we were finally rid of their unwelcome presence ; — 
not, however, until they had stolen an axe and several other articles, de- 
spite the strictness of our vigilance. 



CHAPTER VII. 



The Chimney.— A bet.— Spur of the Rocky Mountams.— Scott's Bluff.— Romantic 
scenery. — Mimic city. — I-, pyramid. — A monument. — An elevated garden. — Moun- 
tain sheep. — An Eden. — Death in camp. — The wanderer's grave. — Horse Creek 
and gold. — Goche's hole. — Arrival at Fort Platte. — Remarks by the v^ay. — 
Prairie tmvel.— LocaUty and description of the Fort.— Indian lodges.— Migratory 
habits of mountain and prahie tribes. — Scenes at Fort.- Drunken Indians.— Tra- 
gical event.— Lidian funeral.— Speech of Etespa-huska on the death of hia 
father. 

Oct. 26^A. Raising camp at daylight we resumed our way, and soon 
afterwards arrived opposite the " Chimney," an extraordinary natural curi 
osity that had continued in view and excited our admiration for some four 
days past. 

This singular formation surmounts a conical eminence which rises, isola- 
ted and lonely, in the open prairie, reaching a height of three hundred feet. 
It is compoGed of terrene limestone and marl, quadrangularly shaped, like 
the spire of some church, six feet by ten at its base, with an altitude of 
niore than two hundred feet, — making, together with the mound, an eleva- 
tion of five hundred feet.* A grand and imposing spectacle, truly ; — a 
wonderful display of the eccentricity of Nature ! 

How came such an immense pile so singularly situated ? What causes 
*nited their aid to throw up this lone column, so majestic in its solitude, to 
overlook the vast and unbroken plains that sun-ound it ? 

The " Chimney " is situated about three miles to the left of the moun- 
tain trail, though it seems no more than eight hundred yards distant. Upon 
this question our party entertained no small diversity of opinion. Some 
of the less knowing were confident it could not exceed a half mile ; and 
one fellow ofiered to bet five dollars he could run to it in fifteen minutes. 

* Formerly the " Chimney " was raiich higher than at present, and could be dis- 
tinctly seen in a clear day as far as Ash creek. The wind and the rain are continu- 
allv reducing it; and it is said to be full fifty feet less than it was nine years ago. 
Calculating from this datum, what must have been its altitude no lojiger remote than a 
•ouple of centuries ! 



A MONUMENT. dl 

The banter was promptly accepted, and the " greenhorn," dof&ng hli 
coat and hat, started in full expectation of winning the wager. But, in 
■tead of fifteen, it took him forty-five mmutes to reach the spot! 

The day a'fter passing the " Chimney," we entered a broad defile of 
lofty ridges, and made camp. This locality is known as Scott's Bluff 
which is, properly speaking, a wing of the Rocky Mountains. 

From Ash creek to this place, an almost precipitous wall of arenaceoui 
rock, limestone, and marl, shuts tlie high prairie froni the river bottoms 
As the traveller proceeds, this wall or ledge gradually increases in height 
and recedes from the river, sometimes to a distance of thirty or forty miles 
til it unites in a chain of hills, many of which are covered with sturdj 
pines, and others are mere heaps of naked sand or indurated earth. ^ The 
ridge then continues its course until it at length becomes united with the 
lateral chain of the Rocky Mountains, which bounds the " Plauis of Lara 
mie " upon the southeast 

At Scott's Bluff these hills crowd themselves abruptly towards the 
Platte, where they present a most romantic and picturesque sceneir. 

Our camp was in a rich opening, or valley, two miles wide, and walled 
in upon the right and left by perpendicular masses of earth and rock, that 
tower to a height of from three to eight hundred feet. In reaching it, the 
trail bore leftward from the river, about seven miles, through a level 
prairie, by which we were inducted to the valley, without any perceptible 
variation of its general surface. 

Near the entrance, upon oui* left, the spectacle was grand and imposing 
beyond description. It seemed as if Nature, in mere sportiveness, had 
thought to excel the noblest works of art, and rear up a munic city as tha 
grand metropolis of her empire. 

There stood the representations of palaces, with their domes and balus- 
trades ; churches, with their spires and cupolas ; and streets, with tneir 
gigantic dwellings, stores, work-shops, and ware-houses. And there, also, 
were parks, pleasure-grounds, and public squares, all so admirably defined 
by the agency of the winds and rains of ages, that tlie traveller might 
readily imagine himself to have arrived within the precincts of the desert- 
ed city of some peopleless coimtry, whose splendor and magnificence on 
more than vied with the far-famed Pahmyra of the desert, even in its 
days. 

To the right arose a pile of sand-rock and marl in pyramidal; 
three hundred feet high, that occupied its prairie site detached fi-om / 
other eminence. 

Near this stood a more singular natural formation than any 
viously noticed. It described a complete circle, of one tiiousand fe 
circumference, and attained an altitude of not far from four hundred fee 
Its sides were of great regula*rity, and represented masses of solid mason- 
work, rising abruptly till within sixty or seventy feet of the summit, where 
they accline in a blunt, cone-like manner, reducing the peripheiy to one 
third that of its base. At this point is reposed a semi-spherical form, reg- 
ularly jutting with a gradual swell upon all sides — then tapering to an oval 
shape till near the apex, at which the whole mass is surmounted by a rude 
imitation of sculptured flame, pointing upwards to the sun, as if this 



92 DEATH IN CAMP. 



■tnoffe monumeat of nature had been erected in honor of the great Movam 
ot h&t and heat ! 

Sail further to the right, upon the river bank, is another immense pile, 
tzceeding either of the before described in altitude. It is an oblong 
■qaarO) and presents erect lateral walls upon three sides, leaving upon the 
fourth a gradual acclivity which faces the river. Its summit expands 
into a beautiful terrace containing an area of several acres, which at the 
proper season is adorned with herbs, flowers, shrubbery, and grass, Uke a 
pleasure garden upon some house-top, and commands a view of the whole 
country, lending enchantment to the neighboring scenes. Its base is about 
one mile long by twelve hundred yards wide, and points endwise from the 
river towards the valley. 

Then comes the continuous wall which bounds the locality upon the 
right This likewise presents a level summit, varying from fifteen yards 
to a haK mile in breadth, for a distance of ten miles, when, slowly sinking 
in its course, it finally becomes lost in the prairie. 

Covered with grass and shrubs, it is the favorite home of the mountain 
sheep, where she breeds and rears her young, secure in her inaccessible 
fastnesses ; and ofttimcs from its precipitous edge, at elevations of six or 
eight hundred feet above the adjacent prairie, will her head and mammoth 
horns be seen, peering in wonder upon the rare traveller, as he passes 
adown the valley. 

The interval between the two mural ridges is of uniform width for about 
ten miles, and is watered by a beautiful stream nearly the whole distance, 
when it inducts the traveller to the open prairie, — leaving the immense wall 
which bounded it upon the leftward, at his entrance, transformed to high 
conical hills, covered with pines, and almost lost to view in the growing 
space; while that upon his right, diminishing in size, gradually disappears 
and unites vidth the far-spreadmg plain. 

Most of the varieties of wild fruits mdigenous to the mountains are 
found in this vicinity, and also numerous bands of bufialo, elk, deer, sheep, 
and antelope, with the grizzly bear. 

In the summer months the prospect is most delightful, and affords to the 
admiring beholder an Eden of fruits and flowers. No higher encomium 
conld be passed upon it than by employing the homely phrase of one of 
our voyageurs. In speaking of the varied enchantments of its scenery at 
that season, he said : " I could die here, then, — certain of being not far from 
heaven !" 

Before leaving this romantic spot, feelings of gloom and melancho- 
ly usurped those of pleasing admiration, by the death of one of oni 
number. 

The deceased was on his way to the mountains for the recovery of his 
health, with a frame fearfully reduced by the ravages of that fell destroyer 
consumption. For several days past he had declined rapidly, owing to 
the weather and the unavoidable exposure incident to our mod.e of travel- 
ling. To-day the cold was more than usually severe, and an uncomforta- 
ble rain and sleet commenced soon after camping. In an attempt to pass 
from the waggons to the fire, he staggered and fell ; — before any one of 
u could arrive to his assistance, he had breathed his last 



THE WAMDSRKR'S 6RATS. 93 

Wt buied him upon the bank of the Etream that wends its coum 
ihrough the vaJlej. Darkness, with its eable pall, had enveloped tht 
■cene as we covered him from view, and left the winds and the wolves to 
howl his requiem, mitil the voice of spring shall bid the wild-flowers 
grow and bloom upon his grave. 

Tnis lovely valley had before this witnessed tlie death-scene of one who 
left his bones to bleach within its limits. His name was Scott, from whom 
the neighboring eminences derive their present appellation. 

Attracted by the enchanting beauty of the place and the great abundance 
of game the vicinity afibrded, he wandered hither alone and made it liis 
temporary residence. While thus enjoying the varied sweets of solitude, 
he became the prey of sickness and gasped his life away; — and none 
were there to watch over him, but the sun by day and the stars by night; 
or fan his fevered brow, save the kindly breezes ; or bemoan his hapless 
fate, other than the gurgling stream that sighed its passing sympathy be- 
side the couch of death ! 

There is a mournful interest and a touching melancholy associated with 
this simple story, that must thrill with emotion the finer feelings of our 
nature. The incident, which had so recently transpired, contributed to en- 
hance these gloomy sensations to an extent I never before experienced. I 
felt — I cannot tell how. I felt like giving vent to my feelings in verse. — 
Yet, I cannot write poetry. I made the attempt, however, and here is tits 
result before the reader : 

THE WANDERER'S GRAVE. 

Away from friends, away from home 

And all the heart holds dear, 
A weary wand'rer laid him down,- 

Nor kindly aid was near. — 

And sickness prey'd upon his frame 

And told its tale of woe, 
While sorrow mark'd his pallid cheeks 

And sank his spirit low. 

Nor waiting friends stood round his couch 

A healing to impart, — 
Nor human voice spoke sjmipathy, 

To sooth his achmg heart 

The stars of night his watchers were,— 

His fan the rude winds' breath, 
And while they sigh'd their hollow moans, 

He closed his eyes in death. 

Upon the prairie's vast expanse 

This weary wand'rer lay ; 
And far from friends, and far from hcma. 

He breath'd his life away ( 



HORSE CREEK.--€OLl>i 



A lovely valley marks the spot 

That claims his lowly bed ; 
But o'er the wand'rer's hapless fate 

No friendly tear was shed. 

No willing grave received the coret 

Of this poor lonely one ; — 
His bones, alas, were left to bleach 

And moulder 'neath the sun ! 

The night-wolf howl'd his requiem, — 

The rude winds danced his dirge; 
And e'er anon, in mournful chime, 

Sigh'd forth the mellow surge! 

The Spring shall teach the rising grass 

To twine for him a tomb ; 
And, o'er the spot where he doth lie, 

Shall bid the wild flowers bloom. 

But, far from friends, and far from home, 

Ah, dismal thought, to die ! 
Oh, let me 'mid my Mends expire, 

And with my fathers lie. 

Oct. 27iL The day being clear and pleasant, we travelled rapidly, and 
in the course of the afternoon reached Horse creek. This stream is a 
large affluent of the Platte, heading in the Black Hills, and, tracing its way 
in a northeasterly direction, through a timberless country, (in many places 
mere barren wastes,) makes its debouchment nearly fifteen miles above 
Scott's Bluff. 

The region adjacent to its head is represented as being rich in minerals, 
among which is gold ; and from my limited information respecting its geo- 
logical character, I am inchned to accredit the rumor. The story runs 
thus : 

Six or eight years since, Du Shay, an old French hunter, wliile ranging 
in the parts above alluded to, on crossing one of the two principal forks 
that unite to form the main stream, observed a singular looking something 
in the creek bed, which he picked up. It was apparently a fragment of 
rock, very heavy, and contained numerous yellow specks. 

Having deposited it in his bullet-pouch for preservation, subsequently, in 
approaching a band of buffalo, its weight became so annoying he thought- 
lessly threw it away. The year following he visited Santa Fe, at which 
place his pouch was accidentally emptied, and, among its contents, several 
bright particles, that had become parted from the rock, attracted the atten. 
tion of the Mexicans. These were carefully gathered up, and, upon due 
examination, proved to be virgin gold. 

The old man, on his return, searched diligently for tlie spot that afford- 
«d Hi« treasure he had so foolishly thrown away, — but (not being intellect 



9ft 
PKAIRIE TRAVEL. 



Btreams it belonged. 

known a3'Goche:s hok. -ietureBoue beauty, claims affinity to th« 

This locality, in wiltoees «ng P^^'?Xoad and of Beveral miles extent, 

neigborhood of Scott's Bluff Ite area i^ or ainghdlsare gen- 

l-iSacessible except at two »'' *X Wone. Towering in vertical w^Is 

the fo^& subsequent, «h|n were agam en'oul.. ^f^„rtPlatte. 

Sgh^f Nov;utatifcmn'sPom^,the^^^^^^ ^^^ ^„„^, „f Urra- 

"^^^^^^r-'^^^^t bottoms, in many places 
°"S Horse creek to the Larrami^e m i, tlie^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^ ^, had 

&^«Se^t^n.nd.oo^^^^^^^^^^ 

grmation's, noticed i^^^J^^jV^atous shades and compactness, with 

-tri^Pff-SS^SW-anacoveredwithlu.^^ 

The prairies were beautifully ^^^^^/^^^^ ^^^re ornamented with afew 

p^gfess of changing seasons. 

Tb soine of my readers mayentert^n^edejgnofvis^^^^^^^^^^ 

i^lrnUraiiiX^rE^-rw^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

'iSteable mode of ^^i^^Kronttw "camps per day Trav*« 

■ A caravan of waggons ^""^ ^aXht and continue until ten ° ^l;'^^, 

should adopt the r«k to ^^ a^ ^^Zr^r., (if H be summer, :f spring or. 

t^^'^S^'^^^^^S^ :r^£lZtL. should travel 
^Carkvans ought always to lay by/^,'f ^^ ^ and shoulders of their am 



LODaB« OF UOVWfJJH mDiAim 



and not think of averaging ov«r twenty-firt miles per day. They miffht 
travel later ; but in sucii caies, they should alwayi proportionally lengthen 
their noon halt. 

In the above manner the entire journey from Indpendence to the Pacific 
may be performed without injury to animals, or the expenses attendant 
upon a relay. 

Fort Platte, being next to Fort Hall, the most important point on th« 
route to Oregon, calls for a brief description. This post occupies the left bank 
of tne North Fork of Platte river, three-fourths of a mile above the mouth 
of Larramie, in lat. 42^ 12' 10" nortli, long. 106** 20' 13" west from Green- 
*vich,* and stands upon the direct waggon road to Oregon, via South 



It is situated in the immediate vicinity of the Oglallia and Brule divisions 
of the Sioux nation, and but little remote from the Chyennes and Arapaho 
tribes. Its structure is a fair specimen of most of the establishments em- 
ployed in the Indian trade. Its walls are " adobies," (sun-baked brick,) 
four feet thick, by twenty high — enclosing an area of two hundred and 
fifty feet in length, by two hundred broad. At the northwest and south- 
west corners are bastions which command its approaches in all directions. 

Within the walls are some twelve buildings in all. consisting as follows : 
Office, store, warehouse, meat-house, smith's shop, carpenter's shop, kitchen, 
and five dwellings, — so arranged as to form a yard and corel, sufficiently 
large for the accommodation and security of more than two hundred head 
of animals. The number of men usually employed about the establish- 
ment is some thirty, whose chief duty it is to promote the interests of the 
trade, and otherwise act as circumstances require. 

The Fort is located in a level plain, fertile and interesting, bounded upoc 
all sides by hills, many of which present to view the nodding forms of 
pines and cedars, that bescatter their surface,— while the river bottoms, a- 
various points, are thickly studded with proud growths of cottonwood, ash, 
wiUow, and box-elder, thus affording its needful supplies of timber and 
fuel. 

One mile south of it, upon the Larramie, is Fort John, a station of the 
American Fur Company. Between these two posts a strong opposition is 
maintained in regard to the business of the country, little to the credit of 
either. 

At the time of our arrival at the Fort, two villages of Indians were en- 
camped near by. Their lodges, being the first I ever saw, proved objects 
cf great interest to me. 

The lodge of a mountain Indian consists of a frame work of light poles, 
some twenty-five feet long, bound together at the small ends, and raised by 
planting the opposite extremities aslope, at given distances apart, so as to 
describe a circle, at tlie base, converging to a triangular apex, for roof and 
sides ; — over this is spread a covering of bufialo robes, so nicely dressed 
and seamed, it readily sheds rain and excludes the fierce winds to which 
the country is subject. A small aperture at the top, affords passage for thi 

• %ln. U. FrwoGHt, in 18«. 



CHARACTER AND CONDITION OF THE SIOUX NATION. t7 

smoke emitted from the fire occupyng the centre ground work. The 
entrance is at the side, where a large piece of undressed buffiilo skin (hung 
from the top and so placed as to be opened or closed, at pleasure, upon the 
ingress or egress of the inmate) furnishes the simple substitute for a 
door. 

These lodges (some of them containing quantities of roofage to the 
imount of tenor fifteen buflialo skins) are large and commodious; and, 
even comfortable, in the severest weather ; the heat from tlie centre fire, 
being refracted on striking the sloping sides, communicates an agreeable 
warmth to every part. 

An Indian lodge, in the summer, is admirably adapted to the pleasure of 
its occupants, — by raising the lower extremeties of the envelope and 
securing them at a proper elevation, a free passage of air is obtained, 
which greatly contributes to increase the merits of the delightful shade 
afibrded by the superstructure. 

A lodge of the largest size may easily be made to accommodate fifteen 
persons. The interior is arranged by placing the fixtures for sleeping at 
the circumference of the circle, which aflTord seats to the inmates, and thus 
a sufficient space is left vacant between them and the centre fire. 

This kind of dwelling is the one almost universally adopted by the 
mountain and prairie Indians, and is, perhaps, better suited to their con- 
dition and mode of life than any other that could be devised. 

Dependent solely upon the chase for a subsistence, the various Indian 
tribes inhabiting the mountains . and countries adjacent can occupy no 
fixed residences. Contrary to the habits of more eastern nations, among 
whom agriculture commands attention to a greater or less extent, they are 
continually necessitated to rove from place to place in pursuit of game. 

Give to one of them a bow, arrows, knife, lodge, and running horse, and 
he is rich, happy and contented. When the erratic propensities of the 
buffalo (upon which is his almost exclusive dependence) compel him to 
change his location, he has only to pull down his lodge, saddle his horse, 
and away. 

So accustomed are they to this incessant rambling, they regard it more 
as a pleasure than an inconvenience. I have frequently seen hundreds of 
families moving together, — presenting to the unsophisticated beholder a 
novel and amusing spectacle, — with their horses, mules, dogs, men, 
squaws, children, and all the paraphernalia of savage domestic economy 
and tlie rude accoutrements of peace and war, commingled indiscrimi- 
nately. 

The Sioux tribe, to whose country we have now introduced the reader, 
IB, perhaps, the largest Indian nation upon the continent of North America, 
with the exception of the ancient Mexicans, if indeed they may be called 
Indians. This tribe occupies a territory extending from the St. Peters, 
of tlie Mississippi, to the Missouri, and from thence to the forks of the 
Platte, and up that river to its head-waters. They are supposed to num- 
ber not far from eighty thousand men, women, and children, and are divided 
into many fractional parts, each bearing its own name, yet speaking th« 
same language and claiming a common nationality. 

Of theM divisions are tlie Brules, Oglallas, Yanktaus, Piankehawi, 
9 



98 DRUNKEN INDIANS. 

Mmecosiae, Blackfeet, Broken-arrows, and Assenaboins. with many oth-= 
era whose namea have escaped my recollection. The only perceptible 
difference in language, is, in the pronuciation of words like the following, 
meallOi appelh and Lacota, — those upon the Mississippi, and some in 
the vicinity of the Missouri, pronouncing them ineaddoy appeddo, and Dor 
cota. 

The members of tliis nation, so far as my obsei-vation extends, are a 
cowardly, treacherous, thieving set, taken as a body — and are well desemng 
the appellation of mean and contemptible; though there are .some hon- 
orable exceptions to the remark. 

Any effort to civilize them must necessarily prove tedious, if not alto- 
gether impracticable, while they adhere to their present roving habits ;— 
though three several missionary stations have been recently established 
among them, with slight success ; viz : at St. Peters, Lac qui Parle, and 
Traverse des Sioux. But the Indians of those sections, being under the 
more direct influence of the U. S. Government, have begun to abandon 
their former wandering habits, and betake themselves to agricultural pur- 
suits. 

The term Siuox, as applied to this nation, is of Franco-Canadian ori- 
gin — being a corruption of the word sued, and means drunk or drunkeuj—in 
allusion to their excessive fondness for liquor and predilection to inebri- 
acy. The name by which they call themselves, and are known among 
other tribes, is Lacota, or Cut-throats, — for such is the literal meaning of 
the term ; and rarely, indeed, were ever a pack of scoundrels more justly 
entitled to the appellation. 

The night of our arrival at Fort Pla-tte was the signal for a grand jollifi- 
cation to all hands, (v/ith two or three exceptions,) who soon got most 
gloriously drunk, and such an illustration of the beauties of harmony as 
was then perpetrated, would have rivalled Bedlam itself, or even the famous 
ouncil chamber beyond the Styx. 

Yelling, screeching, firing, shouting, fighting, swearing, drinking, and 
such Uke interesting performances, were kept up without intermission, — 
and woe to the poor fellow who looked for repose that night, — he might as 
well have thought of sleeping with a tliousand cannon bellowing at his 
ears. 

The sceae was prolonged till near sundown the next day, and several 
made their egress from this beastly carousal, minus shirts and coats, — with 
ewoller. e^3s, bloody noses, and empty pockets, — the latter circumstance 
will be easily understood upon the mere mention of the fact, that liquor, in 
this country, is sold for four dollars per pint. 

The day following was ushered in by the enactment of another scene 
of comico-tragical character. 

The Indians encamped in the vicinity, being extremely solicitous to imi- 
tate the example of their " illustrious predecessors," scon as the first tints 
of morning began to paint the cast, commenced their demands for fire- 
water ; and, ere the sun had told an hour of his course, they were pretty 
well - Jvanced in the state of " how came ye so," and seemed to exercise 
their musical powers in wonderful rivalry witli their white brethren. 

Men, women, and children were seen running from lodge to lodge with 









Indian Funeral. — Page 101. 



AN INDIAN FUNERAL. 101 



of liquor, inviting their friends and relatives to drink ; while 
whooping, singing, drunkenness, and trading for fresh supplies to admin- 
ister to the demands of intoxication, had evidently become the order of 
the day. Soon, individuals were noticed passing from one to another, with 
mouths full of the coveted tire-water, drawing the lips of favored friends 
in close contact, as if to kiss, and ejecting the contents of their own into 
the eager mouths of others, — thus aflfording the delighted recipients tests 
of their fervent esteem in the heat and strength of the strange draught. 

At this stage of the game the American Fur Company, as is charged, 
commenced dealing out to them, gratuitously, strong drugged liquor, for 
the double purpose of preventing a sale of the article by its competitor in 
in trade, and of creating sickness, or inciting contention among the Indians, 
while under the influence of sudden intoxication, — hoping thereby to 
induce the latter to charge its ill eflTects upon an opposite source, and thus, 
by destroying the credit of its rival, monopolize for itself the whole trade. 

It is hard to predict, with certainty, what would have been the result of 
this reckless policy, had it been continued through the day. Already its 
effects became apparent, and small knots of drunken Indians were seen in 
various directions, quarrelling, preparing to fight, or fighting, — while others 
lay stretched upon the ground in helpless impotency, or staggered from 
place to place with all the revolting attendencies of intoxication. 

The dram-3., however, was here brought to a temporary close by an inci- 
dent which made a strange contrast in its immediate results. 

One of the head chiefs of the Brule village, in riding at full speed from 
Fort John to Fort Platte, being a little too drunk to navigate, plunged 
headlong from his horse and broke his neck when witliin a few rods of his 
destination. Then was a touching display of confusion and excitement 
Men and squaws commenced bawling like children ; — ^the whites were bad, 
very bad, said they, in their grief, to give Susu-ceicha tlie fire-water that 
caused his death. But the height of their censure was directed against 
the American Fur Company, as its liquor had done the deed. 

The body of the deceased chief was brought to the Fort, by his rela- 
tives, with a request that the whites should assist at its burial ; but they 
were in a sorry plight for such a service. There, however, were found 
sufficiently sober for the task, and accordingly commenced operations. 

A scaffold was soon erected for the reception of the body, which, in 
the mean time, had been fitted for its last airy tenement. This duty 
was performed by the relatives of the deceased in the following manner: 
it was first washed, then arrayed in the habiliments last worn by Susu- 
ceicha during life, and sewed in several envelopes of lodge-skin, with the 
bow, arrows, and pipe once claiming him as their owner. This done, all 
things were ready for the proposed burial. 

The corpse was then borne to its final resting place, tollowed by a 
throng of relatives and friends. While moving onward with the dead, 
the train of mourners filled the air with their lamentations and rehearsala 
of the virtues and meritorious deeds of their late chief. 

Arrived at the scaffold, the corpse was carefully reposed open it facing 
the east, while beneath its head was placed a small sack of meat, tobacco 
and vermilion, with a comb, looking-glass, and knife, and at its feet, a 
■mall banner that had been carried m the prooeMion. A ooTering 9i 



102 SPEECH OF LONG BOW ON THE DEATH OF HIS FATHER. 



■carlet cloth was then spread over it, and the body firmly lashed to iti 
place by long strips of raw hide. This done, the horse of the chieftain 
was produced as a sacrifice for the benefit of his master in his long 
journey to the celestial hunting ground. 

The above mode of sepulture is that commonly practised by the moun- 
tain tribes. It is seldom indeed they ever dispose of their dead in any 
other way than by placing them either upon scaffolds, branches of trees, 
or in some elevated position, not unfrequently covered by lodges, where 
they are left to moulder and waste in the winds and rain, till the bones 
falling one by one upon the prairie, are gathered up by surviving friends, 
and finally entombed in mother earth. 

The corpse of the ill-fated man being thus securely fixed in the airy 
couch assigned it, to await the speedy process of dissolution, and mingle 
with its kindred earth, that its bones might find their proper places be- 
neath the prairie sod, the village once acknowledging him as its head 
now met round the scaffold, men. women, children, and little ones, to 
bewail the sad fate that had bereaved them of their loved chieftain. 

First, encircling it at a respectful distance, were seated the old men, 
next the young men and warriors, and next the squaws and children. 
Etespa-huska, (Long Bow,) eldest son of the deceased, thereupon com- 
menced speaking, while the weeping throng ceased its tumult to listen to 
his words : 

" Oh, Susu-ceicha ! thy son bemourns thee, even as was wont the 
fledgelings of the war-eagle to cry for the one that nourished them, 
ere yet thy swift arrow had laid him in dust. Sorrow fills the heart 
of Etespa-huska ; sadness crushes it to the ground and sinks it beneath 
the sod upon which he treads. 

"Thou hast gone, oh Susu-ceicha! Death hath conquered thee, 
whom none but death could conquer ; and who shall now teach thy son 
to be brave as thou was brave ; to be good as thou wast good ; to fight 
the foe of thy people and acquaint thy chosen ones with the war-song of 
'triumph ! to deck his lodge with the scalps of the slain, and bid the feet 
of the young move swiftly in the dance 1 And who shall teach Etespa-hus- 
ka to follow the chase and plunge his arrows into the yielding sides of 
the tired bull 1 Who shall teach him to call for his prey from the deer 
the elk, and the antelope, as thou hast done, or win honors from the 
slaughtered bear ] 

'* None. Etespa-huska has no teacher. He is alone. Susu-ceicha is 
dead ! 

" But thou wilt soon gain the happy country. Thy journey is short. 
There wilt thou bestride the fleet horses that never tire, and roam amid 
the fruits and flowers, the sweet waters and pleasure-groves of that lovely 
clime • for thou art worthy. 

"And, oh, Wakantunga! (Great Spirit,) do thou pity Etespa-huska. 
Do thou teach him to be brave and good like his father, for who is theie 
to pity or teach him now he is left alone !" 

Then, turning to the audience he continued : 

" Brothers : Strong was the arm of Susu-ceicha, and fleet was the arrow 
■hot from his bow. Thirty and five of the enemy hath he slain in battle, 
whoM waving locks were the trophies that ofttiraes measured the quick 



TSE COAST CLEAB. 103 



step of the scalp-dance. Fourscore and ten were the medicine-dogs he 
brought from the land of the foeman, that their shrill neighings rnigh* 
greet the ears, and their strong backs carry the people he loved; lor 
brave was the heart of Susu-ceicha ! 

" What warrior ever came to his lodge and went hungry, or naked, or 
needy away ] What widow or orphan of his people blessed not theii 
chief, when he returned from the chase and apportioned to them their 
wonted dues from the choice spoils of the buffalo 1 for generous was the 
aoul of Susu-ceicha. 

" Brothers : Susu-ceicha is dead. No more shall his voice be heard 
in your councils, or his courage lead you to victory, or his generosity 
rejoice the hearts of the needy, the widow, and the orphan. Etespa- 
huska laments a father and a teacher. The Burnt-thighs* a mighty 
chieftain ; and the nation its bravest warrior ! We all mourn him ; sor- 
row fills the hearts, and tears wash the cheeks of his people. It is good 
that we be mourn him, and mingle with the winds the voices of our lam- 
entation, for who shall now stand in the place of Susu-ceicha. 

" Brothers : Let us stamp his memory upon our hearts and imitate his 
virtues, that our acts may rear to him a living monument, which may 
endure till time itself shall die !" 

No sooner had the orator ceased, than a tremendous howl of gj-'^f burst 
from the whole assemblage, men, women, and children, which was re- 
newed in quick succession for several hours, when finally the bewailing 
multitude retired to their lodges. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



Coast clear, and Trade opened. — ^More visitors. — Smoking out the natives. — Inci- 
dent illustrative of Indian character.— Expeditions for trade. — Black Hills.— Raw- 
hide. — ^An Indian and a buffalo chase. — Deep snow, extreme cold, and painful 
journey. — L'eau-qui-court. — Remarks. — Lost. — White river ; its valley, fruits, and 
game. — Building site. — The Devil's Tea-pot. — ^Trouble* with Indians. — Theft and 
its punishment.— Indian soldiers.— Christmas extras.— Outrageous conduct.— Has- 
caUty of traders.— " Tliat Old Serpent."— Indian superstition, religious tenets 
and practices. — Notions upon general morality. 

The events of the day had for the present put an effectual stop to dissi- 
l>ation among the Indians, and not long afterwards they began to pull dov, n 
their lodges and remove to the neghborhood of bufialo, for the purpose of 
selecting winter-quarters. 

The disgusting scene"^ connected v^h our arrival at the Fort had pretty 
much ceased on the evening of the se^nd day, and everything, with a few 
exceptions, began to assume its wonted aspect. 

•This ifl the interpretation of the Indian name which the French have si»«t. «< 
by th* word Brul^ 



104 EXPEDITION TO WHITE RIVER. 

The winter trade was now considered fully opened. Parties were sen* 
witli goods from the Fort to ditFerent villages, for the purpose of barter, 
and alpdirs began to show a business-like appearance. 

Some two weeks subsequently, a band of Brules arrived in the vicinity. 
They had come for a drunken spree, and soon opened a brisk trade in 
liquor. 

Our visitors crowded tlie Fort houses in quest of aiticles of plunder, 
and became an incessant source of annoyance to the engages. One roomj 
in particular, was tlironged almost to the exclusion of its regular occu* 
pants. The latter, losing all patience, at lengtli hit upon a plan to lid 
themselves of the intruders. 

After closely covering the chimney funnel, by aid of some half rotten 
chips a smoke was raised ; the doors and windows being closed to prevent its 
egress. In an instant tiie apartment became filled to suffocation, — quite 
too much so for the endurance of the wondering savages, who gladly with- 
drew to gain the pure air of the exterior. On being told it was the Long- 
knife's medicine,* they replied : 

" Ugh ! Wakea sutiello ha Mena-lmska tour !" (Ugh ! The Long-knife's 
medicine is strong .') 

During their stay at the Fort, an incident occurred which w^ill serve to 
illustrate a singular trait in the character of these Indians. 

A brave, named Bello-tunga, (Big Eagle,) received a blow over tlie head 
from a half crazed drunl^en trader, which came very near terminating in 
serious consequences. What would liave been the result, it is hard to tell, 
had not the whites promptly interfered, and, wuth much effort, succeeded in 
pacifying the enraged savage by presenting him a horse. 

At first he would admit of no compromise short of the offender's blood- 
he had been struck by the pale-face, and blood must atone for the aggies- 
sion, — unless that should wipe out the disgrace, he could never again uft 
up liis head among his people, — tliey would call him a coward, and say the 
white man struck Bello-tunga and he dared not to resent it. 

The services of his fatlier, hereupon, were secured in behalf of the 
offending party, which, after great ado, finally effected an adjustment of 
the difficulty. 

An Indian considers it tlie greatest indignity to receive a blow from any 
one, even from his own brother ; — and, unless the affair is settled by the 
bestowment of a trespass offering on the part of the aggressor, he is almost 
sure to seek revenge, either tlirough blood or the destruction ol propeiiv- 
This is a more especial chamcteristic of the Sioux than of any other nation. 
In fact, the Snakes, Crows, Arapahos, Chyennes, and most other tiibes arc 
far leas nice in its observance, — tliough all regard the Uke an insult thai 
justly calls for revenge. 

Soon after, an expedition was detached to Fort Lancaster, on the South 
Fork Platte, and another to White "ft ver, an affluent of the Missouri, some 

*This word, in Indian signification , means any person or tiling possessed ot '.xtta- 
'"-;'■ tti7 or supernatural powers, as well as any act for conciliating the favor ary» 
obtaining the aasistanoe of the Great Spirit. TJiai medicine is the strongest which w 
the most efficient for its intended purposes. 



A PROBLEM IN MORALITY. X0« 

eighty miles northwest of the main trading post. The latter party inclndeo 
myself with its number. 

Om" pm-pose was to build houses in the vicinity of White river, and thus 
secure the trade of several villages of Brules that had selected their winter 
quarters in the neighborhood, and were anxiously av/aiting our arrival. 

On the last of November we were under way with two carts freighted 
with goods and liquor, accompanied by only six whites, one negro, and an 
Indian. 

Crossing the Platte opposite the Fort, we continued our course, v/est 
by north, over a broken and tumulous prairie, occasionally diversifiod by 
thick clusters of pines and furrowed by deep ravines, and abounding in 
diminutive valleys, whose tall, withered grass gave evidence of the rich 
soil producing it. To our left the high, frowning summits of the Black 
Hills began to show themselves in the long distance, like dark clouds, and 
planted their dense pine forests upon tiie broken ridges whose irregular 
courses invaded tlie cheerless prairie far eastward. 

A ride of twenty miles brought us to Rawhide, where we passed the 
following night and day. 

This creek traces its course over a broad sandy bed, through a wide valley 
of rich clayey loam, sUghtly timbered and luxuriant in grasses. Towards 
its head, it is shut in upon botii sides by high pine hills ; but, in passing on, 
these mural confines are exchanged for the prairies, and the creek finally 
debouches into the Platte. 

An abundance of preite and rushes afforded fine pasturage to our animals, 
and a kindly grove of dry cottonwood gave us requisite fuel for camp-fire. 

Before lea\'ing, we were joined by another Indian mounted upon a dark 
bay horse, the noblest animal of its kind I remember to have seen among 
•Jie mountain tribes. It had been stolen from the Snakes during the past 
summer, as its present owner informed us, and he seemed not a httle p. oud 
of the admiration we bestowed upon it. 

The new comer proved Arketclieta-waka, (Medicine Soldier,) a brother 
of Bello-tunga, the brave referred to on a former occasion. Seating him- 
self by the fire, he looked dejected and melancholy, and his face bore in- 
dubitable evidence of a pergonal encounter with some one. 

On enquiring the cause of this, we learned that he liad left his father's 
lodge by reason of a quarrel he had had with his eldest brother, — the latter 
having struck him with a fire-brand and burnt his body in several places 
during a drunken spree, — he was now on his way to White river, there to 
await the suitable time for revenge, when he should kill his brother. 

We told him this would not be right ; — it was liquor that had done him 
the wrong, and not his Ijrother ; — -liquor was bad ! 

He seemed to ackiiowJedge the truth of our suggestions, and asked " why 
tlie pale-faces brought the fire-water to do the red man so much harm?" 
Our trader replied, '" The whites want robes, and can get them for hquor 
when nothing else will do it." 

The answer evidently perplexed him, while he sat gazing jUentiy into 
the fire, with his arms akimbo upon his knees, and palms supporting his 
chin, as if striving to work out to his own satiofection ^^his strange problem 
in moraJity. 



106 PAINFUL TRAVELLIN&. 

The third day we resumed our course, and, after a drive of six or eigh 
miles, came upon a laige band of buflalo. Here, at our request, the Med 
icine Soldier dofled his robe, slung his arrow-case over his naked shoulders 
mounted his horse bow in hand, and started for the chase. 

At first he rode slowly, as if reserving the speed of his charger till the 
proper time. The bulJalo permitted him to approach within a few hundrea 
yards before they commenced flight. Then was a magnificent spectacle. 

The aflrighted beasts flew over the ground with all the speed that extrema ' 
terror lent to their straightened nerves, and plied their nimble feet with a, 
velocity almost incredible — but they were no match for the noble steed the 
Indian bestrode. He was among them in a trice, and horse, Indian, and 
buffalo were lost in identity, as they swept over a snow-clad prairie, in 
one thick, black mass, like the career of a fierce tornado, tossing the loose 
drifts upwards in small particles, that, in their descent, pictured white clouds 
fallmg to the earth, ever and anon enshrouding the whole band from view. 

Now their course is turned and makes directly towards us. They pass, 
all foaming with sweat — ^with lolling tongues and panting breath — but 
they still seem loath to abate from the energy of their wild terror. 

Soon the Indian and his gallant steed part from them. He has selected 
the choicest of the band and pursues her singly. Side by side both cow 
and horse keep even pace, while the ready archer pours in his arrows, — 
BOTu*; of tliem, forcing tlieir entire way through the bleeding beast, fell 
loosely to the ground upon the opposite side. 

At length, spent by the toilsome flight, exhausted by loss of blood, and 
pierced through her vitals by the practised marksman that follows her, she 
nalts for fight. 

Now, she plunges with mad fury at the horse, — ^the well-trained steed 
clears the force of her charge at a bound. Again, she halts, — ^the blood 
spouts from her nostiils and mouth — she staggers. Again, she musters her 
expiring energies for one more desperate onset at her enemy, as if deter- 
mined, if die she must, not to die unavenged. Her charge proves futile as 
the former. A death-sickness comes over her. Her life is fast ebbing from 
within her. She reels, — she totters — she falls, — and breathes her life 
away upon the blood-dyed snow. 

A few moments' delay put us in possession of an ample supply of fresh 
meat, — ^the Indian reserving the robe only as his share. The cow proved 
a most excellent selection, and did honor to the judgment of the hunter. 

As we zavelled on, the snow, which scarcely an hour since had first 
ittracted our attention, became deeper and deeper, and our progress more 
tedious ami difficult. 

From bare ground and comparatively moderate climate, we were fully 
inducted to tlie region of snow, ice. and winter. The prairie was high and 
undulating. To our left an immense wall of secondary rock surmounted 
a ridge of naked hills, tliat described in its course the curve of a rainbow, 
enclosing upon three sides a large valley facing the east, — thence, stretch- 
ing westward and raising higher and higher, hastened to mingle its heads 
among the cloud-capped summits and snows of the neighboring mouD- 
tains. 

FroA a light coating of loose snow our course soon became obstructed 



L'EAU-QUI-COURT.-REMARKS. 109 

by still deepening layers, covered with a thick crust, scarcely strong enough 
to bear our weight, but quite sufficient to wrench and jar us at every step, 
and make our advance threefold tiresome. 

The cold was so intense, we were forced to walk to keep from freezing. 
Our difficulties thickened the farther we progressed. Night closed in upon 
us, and we could no longer distinguish our course. Yet we kept on, in 
hopes of reaching some creek or spring where we might await the coming 
day. 

Slowly, onward, — plunge, plunge, at every step ; — now prostrate at full 
length upon the hard crust, and then again staggering in resistless mimicry 
of drunken men. 

The chill winds sweeping over the dreary expanse pierced us through at 
each whiff, and seemed to penetrate every nerve, and joint, and muscle, as 
if to transform our hearts' blood into icicles. But still it was plunge, plunge 
along ; onward, plunge, fall ; but yet onward ! There is no stopping place 
here, — 'tis push on or die ! 

Thus, travelling for three or four hours, not knowing whither, we came 
finally to the leeward of a high hill. The agreeable change produced by 
the absence of wind, called forth a hearty response. " Camp, ho," was 
echoed upon all sides. But here was no water for ourselves or our animals. 
We must yet go on. Still we L'"^'"-?d — loath to leave the favored spot. 
The Indian, who had been absent for a brief space, now came up, shouts 
ing: 

" Mme, washtasta !" (Water, very good !) 

" Tarkoo mine ?" asked the trader. (What water ?) 

" Mine-loosa. Tunga warkpoUo." (Running-water. A large creek.) 

It proved L'eau-qui-court, the stream upon which we had intended to pass 
the night. 

Pushing on, a few moments brought us to its banks, in a deep valley 
covered with snow. A fire was then promptly built from a small quantity 
of wood we had the precaution to take with us from Rawhide, and all 
hands were soon as comfortably conditioned as circumstances would admit. 

A hearty supper served to appease the appetites so keenly sharpened by 
a toilsome journey of thirty miles, occupying from sunrise till ten o'clock 
at night. This over, each one cleared for himself a place upon the frozen 
ground, and, spreading down his bed, quickly forgot his cares and sufferingi 
in the welcome embrace of sleep. 

L'eau-qui-court, or Running- water, heads in a small lake under the has* 
of the first range of Black Hills, and, following an easternly course, emptief 
into the Missouri, about one hundred and fifty or two hundred miles aboye 
Council Bluff. It derives its name from the rapidity of its current, which 
rolls over a pebbly bed with great velocity. 

At this place it is narrow and deep, with steep banks, and not a stick of 
timber is to be found on it, above or below, for twenty miles. At the lake 
where it heads, there is an abundance of timber ; large groves of cotton- 
wood are al»o found at some distance below our present camp. 

The intermediate country, from Rawhide, is a cold and cheerless expanse 
almost at all seasons of the year. From the commencement of fall to the 
▼eiy close of spring, it is subject to frost and snow j — for what 

\ 10 

/ 



110 WHITE RIVER SCENERY. 

it is hard to conjecture. Its surface, though quite elevated, is not 
sufficiently so to make such marked difference in cUmate between it and 
adjoim'ng sections. 

The next day proved cloudy ; we, however, resumed our course which 
led over a rough, tumulous country, covered with snow and darkened by 
occasional clusters of pines. 

Early in the morning our Indians left us and took a nearer route to the 
village. Soon after we became bewildered in the obscurity of the atmos- 
phere, and travelled till night unconscious whether right or wrong. 
Finally, coming to a deep ravine that obstructed further progress, we turned 
to a neighboring grove of pines, at the point of an eminence, and made 
camp. It was a bleak airy place, but by aid of a huge fire of dry pine 
we were quite comfortable, despite a heavy fall of snow during the niglit. 

With the morning our perplexities were renewed. Directly in front lay 
a broad and impassable ravine, beyond which a high mountain range arose 
to view. Should we go up or down ? After much debate we decided 
upon the latter, and, bearing northward during the day, struck the head 
of a stream which subsequently proVed White river. 

This stream traces its way through a broad valley, enclosed upon eithei 
side by high pine hills. Its banks are studded with tiiick groves of cotton 
wood, elm, ash, box-elder, and willow, — with nearly all the varieties of 
fruit-bearing shrubs and trees indigenous to the mountains. In the item 
of plums and cherries, it gave evidence of exuberant fecundity.. The 
bushes, in many instances, yet bore the dried relics of their burthen, 
as if to tempt the beholder's taste, — while the tall grass and rosebuds,* 
every where attested the summer-verdure and beauty of the valley in 
which they grew. 

The snow that had hitherto impeded our progress, now gradually became 
less as we advanced down the valley, and soon gave place to bare ground. 
Grame appeared in great numbers, attracted from the adjoining hills to pass 
the winter in this inviting locahty. 

A journey of two days brought us to the site selected for houses, and, 
consequently to a halt, for the present 

The place was surrounded by wild and romantic scenery. Directly in 
front, upon the opposite side of the creek, arose a perpendicular wall of 
marl and half formed sandstone, towering, stratum above stratum, to a 
height of three or four hundred feet, and overlooking the valley above and 
below, — while further on, a steep hill-side, covered with tall, straight, and 
almost branchless pines, burst upon the view. 

Rearward a gradual acchvity led to a high plateau, some two miles 
broad, coated with long, tall grass, when a ridge of abrupt pine hills in- 
troduced the more distant mountains, with their rugged sides and frowning 
summits, — and, higher up, an immense pile of earthy limestone, sur- 



*Rosebuds are found in great quantities in many places, throughout the ra 
during the winter, and attain a large size. They are highly esteemed by 

»n article t>f food, and have not unfrequently be ' " ^~ " ''' 

•if eitwrae hunger and lack of other eatables. 



raountamB, 
many aa 



A THIEr PUNISHED. Ill 



mounting a wing of hills as it approached the river, presented a medley of 
curious and fantastic shapes, — objects alike of amusement and wonder. 

One of the latter, denominated the " Devil's Tea-pot," exliibited exter 
nally an almost perfect facsimile of that kind of vessel. It was of gigantic 
proportions, — ^being one hundred feet high, and, occupying a conspicuoup 
position, may be seen for a distance of many miles. 

The Indians from a near village, immediately upon our arrival, came 
flocking around for the threefold purpose of begging, trading and stealing ; 
and, from this forward, we rarely experienced an interval free from tl-e.i 
anoyance. 

Prompt arrangements were here commenced for biiilding a store room 
and trading house ; — ^but meanwhile, we were forced to keep strict guard 
both night and day. 

Two braves were secured to " act soldier," and assist in keeping the 
thieving propensities of their people in check. Yet, notwithstanding the 
united vigilance of all hands, the latter would frequently perpetrate their 
petit larcenies under our very eyes, without being detected in the act,— 
so adroit were tliey at the bus'iness. An instance of this kind happening to 
myself is perhaps worth relating. 

Previously to the erection of houses, we were necessitated to sleep in the 
open air. Wearied by the lateness of the hour, one night I spread down 
my coucli by the camp-fire, with the intention of retiring. The weather 
being very cold, I had scarcely turned to warm myself, when a backward 
glance revealed the sudden disappearance of my sleeping appendages- 
robes blanl^ets and all ! 

Informing tlie trader of my mishap, and catching a glimpse of the thief 
as he dodged past a knot of Indians at the further extremity of the camp, gun 
in hand, I started after the nimble lark ; but the thick bushes and darkness 
soon shut him from view and left me in fruitless pursuit. 

At length, relinquishing the hope of ever regaining the stolen articles, 
and vexed at the impiotis savage, who, instead of obeying the Scripture in- 
'"imction of "take up % bed and walk,'' had snatched my bed and kun! I 
ieturned to camp. Here I was shown a robe, by the trader, that had been 
brought in scarcely a minute before and offered in barter for liquor ; — ^it 
was one of the two I had lost. 

The bearer was now promply charged as being accessory to the theft 
This he stoutly denied, alleging that the robe had been given him by an- 
other Indian for tlie purpose he had offered it. 

Upon this the affair was referred to our soldiers, who, after much parley- 
ing and no little threatening, succeeded in causing him to return the mis- 
sing articles. The fellow then demanded of me a cup of liquor as pay for 
bringing them back. Mustering to my aid a few words of Sioux, I replied: 
" Mea warche yau wechacha ceicha, opata-ne ha warktash-ne coga Ir—I 
neither like bad men, nor will I pay for doing bad." 

Marto-nazher, (Standing Bear,) one of our soldiers, on hearmg mv an- 
swer, arose and addressed the crowd in an earnest and impressive maimer. 
He was grieved on account of the many depredations continually commit- 
ted by his people upon the property of the whites. It is wrong — ^veiy 
wrong, said hei to conduct in this manner j— if such wickedness is allo^ 



112 INDIAN SOLDIERS. 

ed, the whites will abandon the country. Whites do not steal from us.— 
Something must be done — an example must be had — the perpetrators 
of tliese outrages must be punished. 

"You, Schena-sarpah," he continued, throwing his piercing glance full 
upon the chop-fallen culprit, who hung his head for shame at being caught 
in a manner so little to his credit, " Aye, you Scena-sarpah do carry a 
bow and arrows ; you call yourself a brave ; and yet you steal from our 
friends, the pale-faces ! 

" Do brave men steal from their friends? No! Schena-sarpah should 
alone steal irom his enemies, if he be a brave man and a soldier. 

" Who are they that steal from their friends ? Squaws and children, as 
Schena-sarpah well knows. Then he is no better than they ! Why 
should he carry a bow ? Why go to war, or follow the chare ? Squaws 
and children do neither. None but brave men go to war — none but they 
should follow the chase. 

" Schena-sarpa needs no bow. Let him go to his lodge. There let him 
make robes and moccasins for braves, and take care of children with 
squaws, — for such should be his occupation, and only such should be hia 
companions !'' 

So saying, he approached the unresisting thief, and, taking from him his 
bow, arrows, and panther-skin quiver, resumed his seat. Then, breaking 
the arrows and shooting thera away, one by one, among the trees, he snap- 
ped the bow across his knee and threw it into the fire. The bright flame 
from the burning bow had barely died away, when the quiver was consign- 
ed to the same fate. As the last fragments of the effeminate's weapons 
mouldered to ashes, a smile of satisfaction played upon the countenance of 
the Standing Bear, at the thought of having avenged the wrongs of the 
white man. 

And, truly, this was an infliction of summary punishment. The amount 
of property destroyed exceeded the value of a horse, and, in the estimation 
of an Indian, constitutes a man's chief wealth. The offender was thus 
not only left disarmed by the operation, but made poor, and reduced to a 
level With the squaws and children to whom he was set apart. He be- 
moaned his loss most piteously, and started for his lodge, bellowing like a 
motherless calf. 

Another instance of theft occurred soon after, almost as remarkable. A 
robe was stolen from off one of our party, while he was asleep, and barter- 
ed for whiskey, without his knowing it ! 

Our Indian soldiers were of great service in conducting the trade. If 
any difliculty occurred, they were always at hand to assist in its adjustment, 
and preserve order and quiet so far as lay in their power. If any visitor 
became troublesome, they at once ordered him to his lodge, and enforced 
their commands in case of resistance. 

Every trader is necessitated to employ one or more braves to assist him 
in his business at the villages. An Indian considers it a great honor thus 
to receive the confidence of a white man and " act soldier " for him, as he 
denominates it. Some of them have not unfrequently gone so far as to 
kill those of their people who proved guilty of misusing the traders bj 
whom 'iiey were employed. 



j OUTRAGEOUS CONDUCT. 11« 

ITiey exercise a kind of supervisory office in the management of af&irs 
which could not well be dipensed with, — and very often have the lives of 
traders been preserved by tlie judgment and discretion of these men. 

Dec. 25th. Christmas finds us in our new residence, which, with the ex- 
ception of a chimney, is now completed. 

This great annual festival is observed with all the exhilarating- hilarity 
and good cheer that circumstances will ai,^ow. Several little extras for 
tlie occasion have been procured from the Ind\ ns, which prove quite whole- 
some and pieasant-tasted. One of these, called washena, consists of 
dried meat pulverized and mixed with marrow ; another is a preparation 
of cherries, preserved when first picked by pounding and sun-drying them, 
(they are served by mixing them with bouillie, or the liquor of fresh-boiJed 
meat, thus giving to it an agreeable winish taste ;) a third is marrow-fat, 
an article in many respects superior to butter ; and, lastly, we obtained a 
kind of flour made from the fomme blanc, (white apple,) answering very 
well as a substitute for that of grain. • 

The above assortment, with a small supply of sugar and coffee, as well as 
several other dainties variously prepared, affords aa excellent dinner, — and, 
though diflferent in kind, by no means inferior in quality to tlie generality 
of dinners for which the day is noted in more civilized communities. 

The day following our turbulent neighbors were augmented in num. 
ber by the accession of another village of Brules, and Marto-cogershne, of 
whom I have spoken upon a former occasion, became with his family our 
constant annoyance. 

Visiting us at one time, squaws and all — as was his daily custom — to 
beg liquor, (which, some way or other, he always obtained,) tlie brother of 
our tormentor demanded a quantity of that article to take with him to hia 
lodge. This, after many sharp words, was offered; but, having no vessel 
for its conveyance, he extended his demands to a kettle, — which, of course, 
was refused ; whereupon he threatened vengeance unless both were forth- 
coming upon the mocosco,* (prairie,) and required still farther the gift of 
a pair of moccasins. 

Our trader replied, " The liquor is for you, and here are the moccasins, 
(pulling off his own and passing them to him,) but the kettle you cannot 
have." 

The affair thus ended for the present, and the modest beggar retired tc 
his lodge. The next morning, however, two of our horses were found 
pierced with arrows, and so badly, that they died soon after. 

At another time, Marto-cogershne became so enraged at being refused a 
whole keg of liquor " on the prairie," he rushed upon the trader with hia 
bufxjherrknife to kill him. What would have been the result, it is hard to 
tell, jiad I not stayed the descending weapon by seizing the fellow's arm. 
Here our soldiers interfered and put him out of the house, — closing tlie 
door upon him. 'i'he exasperated savage then commenced shooting upon 
us through the door ; — two Indian boys passing in the interval also furnish- 

* This expression implies the bestowment of anytlxing as a free gift. It is also used 
to doaote a raudom way of speaking with regard to truiii. 
10* 



114 INDIAN SUPERSTITIONS. 



:l 



ed marks for his gun, and not long subsequently a mule and an ox belong- 
ing to us fell to appease his insulted dignity. I 

However, the chef d'ouvre of his rascality was exhibited in stealing our I 
whole cavallard,^ consisting of ten head of horses and mules, which he \ 
drove into the mountains. We were compelled to give a quantity of liquor 
and ammunition, two blankets, and several other articles before we could 
secure their return. 

From the movement of things, he was evidently instigated by the Ameri- 
can Fur Company traders to do us all the mischief in his power. Certain 
it is, he was their regular " soldier," and received from them numerous 
presents in consideration of his good conduct. 

The employees of this company are frequently guilty of such disgrace- 
ful conduct. In connection with this conclusion I might cite instance 
upon instance, and string out a volume of proof, v/ere it necessary. 

Soon after Christmas we comm.enced erecting our chimney. The ma- 
terials for it were procured from an adjoining bank. While engaged in 
quarrying them, the operator came to a crevice lllled with a strange 
fleshy substance, coiled together like the folds of a huge rope. " Hallo !" 
cried he, with astonishment, "here's the Devil, himself!" 

The extraordmary announcement brought all hands to the spot to get a 
peep at •' Old Nick," and the Indians, also, witnessing the unusual commo- 
tion, came hurrying up to learn its cause. 

The result proved, that, if not the Devii, it was his great prototype, — it 
was that " Old Serpent," with all his progeny. 

By means of a stick, thirty-six large snakes were exposed to view, — 
some of them six feet in length. They were in a torpid state, the result 
of the severe cold of winter. 

Having drawn them out, one by one, it was proposed to treat them to a 
warm bath. Accordingly, after placing them in a hole for the purpose, a 
keetle of scalding water was thrown upon them. The vivifying eliects of 
this unwonted application restored them to a sudden animation, when, 
wriggling and twisting for a few moments in all the contortions of agony, 
they at last tacitly curled up and expired. 

The Indians were much shocked on seeing this, and expressed their 
astonishment at our reckless presumption by tiieir deeply accented " tula," 
—-turning away from the spot with evident emotions of terror. 

On inquiring the cause, I learned in answer, that the various Indian 
tribes in the vicinity of the mountains are accustomed to regard the snake 
with a kind of superstitious veneration, and consider the act of killing it 
a sure harbinger of calamity. In the observance of this singiSar 
notion, they are scrupulously exact ; — but, in despite of repeated inquries, 
I have been unable to obtain the reasons upon which the wliim is based. 

These tribes cherish many religious tenets, rites, and customs, — some 
general and others peculiar only to individuals, 

* This is a momtalu phrase of Spanish origin, (cave lardo,) and means a band ii 
lK>ne8 01 mules 



THEOLOGICAL NOTIONS. 115 

An Indian will never pronounce the name of the Big Medicine, or Great 
Spirit, other than in a reverential manner, nor upon trival occasions. 

This being is considered the Great Superintendent of all things, whose 
power sustains the universe, — causing day and night with tlie varying 
Beasons, — making the grass to grow, the water to run, and the rains to fall, 
for the good of man and beast. 

Some imagine Ho lives in the sun ; others, in the air ; others, in the 
ground ; and others in the immensity of His works 

The animal or thing possessed of wonderful or extraordinary powers, 
Buch as their ignorance ascribes to be the attributes of the Supreme 
Being, they look upon as endowed with a greater or Jess share of His 
presence, and venerate it accordingly. Thus, the sun, flr©, lightning, 
thunder, fountains of peculiar medicinal qualities, extraordinary localities, 
and various other things are alike objects of religious regard. 

Although their theological sentiments are generally the same, the man- 
ner of showing their respect for this Overruling Providence differs with 
different tribes, families, and even persons. For instance, — some tribes 
shave their heads in token of their submission to Him. Others mark 
themselves for His own by some peculiar manner of cutting their ears 
for the reception of ornaments ; — while others burn their thighs, tattoo 
their breasts, scar their arms, or flatten the heads of infants, for a like 
purpose. 

The instrument, with which such ceremonies are performed, is invariabl 
thrown away. In case of cutting the ears of an infant, the gift bestowed 
upon the operator is regarded as indicative of its success during life ; — 
parents have been known to give as high as ten horses on like occasions. 

Some make indelible marlis of a blue color upon their chins and fore- 
heads,—- or the figures of lizards, snakes, arrows, or other objects upon 
their arms. 

Some show their reverence in the peculiar manner of receivir g the pipe 
and passing it to another ; — others by certain ceremonies before smoking, — 
thus, pointing the pipe-stem to the zenith, then towards the ground, then 
horizontally upon either side, as if saying, " Oh thou, whose habitation is 
immensity, accept this as the willing tribute of homage from thy child." 

They will never allow a bone of any kind to be broken within their 
lodges, and express great consternation and alarm at such an occurrence. 
Some will not permit a stick of wood to be struck with a knife or other 
edged tool while burning, and others exhibit their devotion by some pe- 
culiarity in the structure of their lodges, or the mode of placing their 
medicine-bags, the length and shape of their arrows, their fashion of hair- 
dressing, and various minutia) of like character. 

Others again will never eat unless they bestow the first mouthful as 
an offering to the prairie, — believing that, as the prairie affords water, 
grass, and game, for the good of the red man, it is the fiillest cmbodyment 
of the Essence of Good ; therefore, in the observance of this practice, they 
not only acknov^^iedge their faith in the existence of the Great Spirit, but 
set apart the first of their substance as test of tlieir piety. 

Their ideas of the existence of a principle, or being, wno is the author 
and prompter of evil, are crude and indefinite. 

They are ready to acknowledge its reality, but seem to consider its pep 



Ii6 DANGERS OF THE LIQUOR TRADE. 

■on more manifest in man himself than any other creature or thing. 
Their enemies they esteem as the more special incarnation of this prin- 
ciple, and next to them they regard a u orthless, mean, and cowardly indi- 
vidual of their own people. They also look upon creatures of an injuiious 
and liurtful nature, as the greater or less impersonation of evil. 

Their notions of right and wrong are equally simple. 

It Js right to be brave, to do good to friends, to relieve the needy, to feed 
the hungry, and to worship the Great Spirit, — these are acts of general 
morality. There are various other duties taught by tlieir code relative to 
intercourse with each other, — to children and parents, husbands and wives 
deference to age, chastity etc., the performance of which is essential to 
virtue. 

The line of demarkation between virtue and vice is yet more simple and 
comprehensive ; — every thing derelict of right is wrong. 

I shall recur to several points, connected with the foregoing subjects, in 
another place. 



CHAPTER IX. 



Dangers connected with the liquor trade. — Difficulty with Bull Eagle.—Scenes of 
^Jbodshed and horror.— Clieating in the fur trade. — How the red man becomes 
tutored in vice. — A chief's daughter offered in exchange for liquor. — Indian mode 
of courtship and marriage. — Squaws an article of traffic. — Divorce. — Pluraliiy oi 



The difficulty and danger, not to say crime and bloodshed, connected 
with the illicit trade in alcohol, as conducted among our western Indians, 
is great and imminent. To illustrate this point, I need only to place before 
the reader a summary of facts which occurred, many of them under my 
own observation, during the winter of 1842. 

Soon after our arrival at White river a man was sent to a neighboring 
village with a keg of diluted alcohol, for the purpose of barter. The 
Indians, feeling more disposed to drink than pay for it, demanded the keg 
as a gift " on the prairie." This was refused. They threatened — a fight 
ensued, (the soldiers and trader defending the keg and the Indians tryinw 
to take it.) Weapons were used, and the result was, both soldiers and 
trader were beaten off, — the latter, alter being dragged through the lodge- 
fire three or four times, narrowly escaped with his life. 

A party of Indians under the excitement of strong drink, attacked and 
took a trading house of the American Fur Company, near by, — robbing ist 
of both liquor and goods. 

Two parties in the Fur Company's employ, from different posts, met at 
a neighboring village, — one having goods and the other alcohol. The 
Indians, as usual, got drunk, and commenced a fight among themselves ; — 
because the goods-trader happened to be in the lodge of one of the weaker 
party, they attacked him. He was compelled to flee, and barely escaped 
with hii bfe through the friendly interference of tlie a^uawe. flis gooda 




Bull Eagle drinking the Fire-Water. — Page 119. 



SCENES OF BLOODSHED AND HORROR. 119 

weie all stolen; — while one of the Indians who defended him wasbrutallj 
murdered, and several others wounded. 

Not long afterwards, our trader was shot at, three or four times, while 
% (Engaged in this dangerous traffic, and one of his soldiers severely wounded. 

About tlie same time, the trader of another company received a deep 
/ab, while dealing out the vile trash, and would have been killed but for 
he energetic eflbils of his soldiers. 

Previously to the above, tlie Indians seized upon a trader and compelled 
him to stand over a hot fire until he was nearly roasted alive, — meanwhile, 
helping themselves to his stock in hand. 

Soon after, tv> o w^arriors came to trade for a blanket at our post, — one 
of whom was drunk. V/hile being w^aited upon, the latter drew his knife 
and was in the very act of stabbing the unsuspecting clerk, as I caught his 
wrist and arrested the blow. 

At another time, as our trader was standing surrounded by us all, he was 
shot at by a drunken Indian, who, by the merest accident, missed his object. 

Again, one night a party of drunken Indians undertook to fire the house 
in order to consume us alive,, but were providentially prevented, owing to 
its being constructed of green pine logs. 

The most dangerous time I experienced during the winter w^as near the 
closa of it. An Indian employed as our soldier, became crazed upon tlie 
dragged liquor of the American Fur Company, and made his appearance 
before us in a high state of excitement. This fellow had been denominated 
by his people the Bull Eagle, (Tahtunga-mobeliu,) and was a chief, — 
highly esteemed as a medicine-man, and regarded as the greatest brave in 
the Sioux nation. He was a tail, well-made, noble-looking person — and, — 
such eyes ! I never saw the like planted beneath the b, ows of any other 
mortal. Tliey glared like lightning, and, as they fell upon the individual 
to w^hom directed, seemed to penetrate the very soul and read the embryo 
thoughts of his heart. 

Through tlic misrepresentations of those in the interest of the Fur Com- 
pany, he landed liimself misused by our trader, and came determined on re- 
venge. Arms in hand and stripped for the contest, accompanied by his wife 
and two or three friends, he confronted us, — his strange appearance told 
for what. In ihe fury of passion his every looli gave evidence of the raging 
demon within. 

Here, lest he should be misunderstood, he premised by a full statement of 
his grievances. They were many, but the chief of them was, that our 
trader had employed another to " act soldier" in his stead, while he was too 
drunk to perform, the duties of that appointment. " I have been dressed"* 
as a soldier," said he, " to be laughed at, and now Peazeezeef must die !'^ 

The room v/as full of Indians, and one of them, an old man, exclaimed . 

" When Peazeezee dies, let me go under,;}: — I must live no longer !" 

♦Prenously, he had been presented with a citizen's dress to secure him for IM 
company's interest, 
t Yellow-hair. The Indian name for our trader. 
tThis term implies death, or the act of dying- 



120 EFFECTS OF DRUNKENNESS. 

" Is this your love for the j^ale-face ?" returned the infuriated chieftain. 
« Then die you first !" 

Upon this, seizing the defenceless old man, he drew his knife and made 
a heart-thrust. The intended victim, however, grasped the descending 
blade in his bare hand and arrested its course — but his fingers were 
nearly severed in so doing. Here the wife of Bull Eagle rushed up to 1 1 
her husband and seized him by both arms, while others interfered, and thi ' 
scene of conflict was removed from the apartment to the space in front. 

Now was a general fight. The women and children, crying for terror, 
ran about in the utmost confusion and dismay, — while raving combatant* 
yeJed and whooped, as knives, clubs, and tomahawks were busily dealing 
WDunds and scattering blood. ^ 

Soon after, the parties retired to their village, and the melee ended with 
ouhr six wounded. 

In a brief interval the Bull Eagle again returned, accompanied by his 
wife, — the latter earnestly endeavoring to dissuade him from his purpose. 

A shot was his first salute, on entering the door, v/hich a timely thrust 
from the squaw averted from its object. The kuid-hearted creature then 
grasped the bow. Relinquishing it in her hands, the madman made a pass 
at the trader with his tomahawk, — this blow was dodged, and the heroine, ' 
rushing between the two, prevented its repetition. Dropping his tomahawk, 
he then fell upon the object of his hatred, butcher-knife in hand. 

But here he found himself in the firm grasp of several friendly Indians, 
by whom he was borne from the room. 

This state of aflairs was the signal for another engagement between 
Bull Eagle, at the head of his partizans, aud the friends of tlie whites, — 
more desperate and bloody than the former. With great difficulty we re- 
tained our arms from the forcible grasp of the contending factions. This, 
to us, was a moment fraught with extreme peril — not knowmg friend from 
foe, and instantly apprehensive of the knives and arrows of the avengeful 
throng. It was, indeed, a moment when the agony of suspense quivered 
with thrilling intensity upon every ner\'e, and vibrated in every sinew. To 
fight, would have been a relief. But, whom should we fight? It might have 
been our best friends — for who could discriminate ? The death of one 
connected with either party, at our hands, would have proved the signal for 
our instant slaughter. Both would have united to exterminate us, — and, 
beset as we were, upon all sides, prudence dictated a strict nutrality. 
Sometimes fifteen or twenty would be struggling for our arms at once, — 
d strong temptation, as the reader may rest assured, for us to use them in 
self-defence. 

Meanwhile the conflict continued with unabated fury. Several attempta 
were made upon the life of Bull Eagle, but without success. Two were 
tilled and others wounded, when a final stop was put to tiie further effusion 
of blood by the withdrawal of the chieftan to his lodge. 

In about an hour subsequent, he returned for tiie second time, — ^but 
reason had now resumed her sway, and he came to apologize for his bad 
ionduo*^ Calling our trader his " very good, liis best friend," he cried for 
rrief that he had attempted to kill him. He averred that liquor had made 
iim Sifoolj and said he should never cease to regret the great wicked- 
•M h« had thought of doing to his " best friend." Ever aft«r this affiur 



CHEATnfO. 121 



he remained our steadfast friend, and presented our trader with six super 
fine robes, in evidence of the sincerity of his repentance. 

The foregoing results of this infamous traffic, are only a few of the 
many instances of like nature I might cite, in proof of its imminent daiiger 
to those engaged in its prosecution ;— but tliis is not the darkest part of the 
picture. There are yet scenes in reserve, more bloody and dreadful than 
those above recited, though not, perhaps, quite as perilous to the whites 
themselves. They all occurred in the winter of 1842, during the brief 
period of two months, and resulted immediately from the sale of liquor. 

I shall not enter into details, but content myself by laying before the 
reader a mere synopsis of facts. 

In November, the American Fur Company, from Fort John, sent a 
quantity of their drugged Uquor to an Indian village, on Chugwater, as a 
gift, for tiie purpose of preventing the sale of that article by their competi- 
tors in trade. The consequence was, the poor creatures all got drunk, and 
a fight ensued, which ended in the death of two head chiefs, Bull Bear and 
Yellow Lodge, and six of their friends, — besides the wounding of fourteen 
others, who took part in the affray. 

Soon after, an affair occurred from the same cause, resulting in the 
death of three. 

About the same time, another of like nature took place in the Chyenne 
village, and three more were killed. 

Several were also killed, in the interval, in the vicinity of the Chyenne and 
Missouri rivers, by their friends and companions, while under the madden- 
ing influence of intoxicating drink, — the precise number is not known. 

The very last trade at the close of the season, produced its usual deeds 
of bloodshed and murder. Two Indians were killed, and the person who 
sold to them the vile article narrowly escaped with his life. 

1 might go on still further with the sickening sketch ; but, as enough has 
already been said to shock the sensibilities of the reader, in endeavoring to 
afford him some idea of the enormities and untold horrors connected with 
this criminal traffic, I must forbear. 

The liquor used in this business, is generally third or fourth proof whiskey, 
which, after being diluted by a mixture of three parts water, is sold to the 
Indians at the exorbitant rate of three cups per robe, — ^the cups usually 
holding about three gills each. 

But, notwithstanding the above unconscionable price, a large share of the 
profits residt from the ingenious roguery of those conducting tlie trade. 

Sometimes the measuring-cup is not more than half full; — tlien, again 
the act of measuring is little other than mere feint, (the purchaser receiv 
ing not one fourth the quantity paid for.) 

When he becomes so intoxicated as to be unable to distinguish the difle^ 
ence between water and liquor, (a thing not rare,) the former is passed off 
upon him as tlie genuine article. 

Another mode of cheating is, by holding the cup m such a manner that 
the two front fmgers occupy a place upon the inside, and thus save to the 
trader nearly a gill at each filhng. 

Some have two cups, (one of the usual size, and the other loss,) whick 
11 



122 A CHIEF'S DAUGHTER. 



are so exchanged as to induce the purchaser to beheve he is obtaining a 
third more than he actually receives ; and others, j^et more cumiing, fill the 
measure half full of tallow and deal out the liquor from off it, — the witless 
dupe, not thinking to examine the bottom, supposes he receives the reqm 
site quantity. 

No wonder the Indian, with such examples before him, learns to hate the 
white man, and despise and abhor his boasted civilization. No wonder he 
locks with an eye of suspicion, ahke upon his religion and his learning, 
and revolts at the thought of either, as the ingenious devices of scientific 
rogueiy. He is taught all the white man's vices before he learns any of 
his virtues. Tlie emissaries of Satan, by their untiring efforts, effectually 
Btop his ears, blind his eyes, and harden his heart, ere yet the heralds of 
the Goppel set foot upon his soil, to tell him of tlie blessings of Christianity, 
and the way to happiness and to heaven. 

If the Indian is bad, it is because the white man has made him so. Ur>- 
contaminated by intercourse with the offscourings of civihzation, who come 
to cheat and despoil hiin of his property, and deprive him of his comforts, 
you find him quite a difierent being. You find him brave, generous, and 
hospitable, as v/ell as possessed of many exemplary moral qualities. If he 
. is a savage, he might, in many respects, prove a safe and worthy teacher 
to those who pride themselves upon a more -enlightened education. 

He has a heart instinctive of more genuine good feeling than his white 
neighbor — a soul of more firm integrity—a spirit of more unyielding inde- 
pendence. Place the white man in his condition, divested of all the re- 
straints of law, and unacquainted with the learning and arts of civilized 
life — surrounded by all the associations of the savage state — and the In- 
dian, by comparison, will then exhibit, in a more striking light, that innate 
Buperiority he in reality possesses. 

No : The Indian should not be despised. He holds weighty claims upon 
our pity, our compassion, and our respect, — but never should he be 
despised. 

Old Bull Tail, of whom I had occasion to speak in a former chapter 
having forgotten the wholesome sentiments he advanced at the time refer- 
red to, took it into his head to have a spree. But, as he was not possessed 
of the means to obtain the wherewith, he adopted a somev/hat novel sub- 
stitute. 

He had an only daughter, — and she was handsome — ^the pride of her 
family and the boast of her village. She was lovely, and all the high qual- 
ities of a princess were exhibited in her deportment. But, Bull Tail mus 
drink ; why not give his daughter to the Yellow-hair and receive from Iiim 
a keg of liquor as a marriage present ? 

This thought was acted out, and one morning the (fid chief came to us, 
followed by his daughter, wlio, aware of her father's designs, gave vent to 
her grief in a flood of tears. 

As he entered the door, our trader addressed him : 

Trader. Bull Tail is welcome to the lodge of the Long-knife ; — but, 
why is his daughter, the pride of his heart, bathed in tears ? It pains m« 
that one so beautiful should weep. 



BIDIAN MODE OF COURTSHIP. 123 



BuU Tail Chintzille is a foolish girl. Her father loves her, and tliei»- 
ioie she cries. 

TVader, The contrary should prove a greater cause for grief! 

Bull Tail. The Yellow-hair speaks well, and truth only falls from his 
lips. 

Trader. How, tlien, can she sorrow ? Bid her speak and tell me, that 
I may whisper in her ear v/ords of comfort 

BuU Tail. Nay, paL-face ; but I will tell thee. Bull Tail loves his 
daughter much — very much ; he loves the Ye] low-hair much ! — he loves 
them both, very much. The Great Spirit has put the thought into his mind 
that both might be alike his children ; then would his heart leap for joy at 
the twice- spoken name of father ! 

Trader. What do I hear ? I know not the meaning of thy words. 

BuU Tail. Sure, pale-face, thou art slow to understand ! Bull Tail 
would give his daughter to the Yellow-hair, — for who like him is so worthy 
to take her to liis lodge ? Bull Tail has for a long time called the pale- 
face his brother, and now he would claim the Yellow-hair as his son. 
Loves he not Chintzille ? 

Trader. Were I to deny my joy at the words of Bull Tail, my tongue 
would he ! The Yellow-hair has no wife, and who, like the lovely Chintz- 
ille, is so worthy that he should take her to his bosom ? How could he 
ever show his gratitude to her noble father ! 

Bull Tail. The gift is free, and Bull Tail will be honored in its accept- 
ance, — his friends wHl all be glad with him. But, that they may bless the 
Yellow-hair, let him fill up Sie hollow-v/ood * with fire-water, and Bull 
Tail will take it to his lodge ; — then the maiden shall be thine. 

Trader. But, Chintzille grieves,— she loves not the Yellow-hair! 

Bull Tail. Chintzille is foolish. Let the Yellow-hair measure th© 
fire-water and she shall be thine ! 

Trader. Nay, but the Yellow-hair may not do this. Chintzille should 
never be the wife of him she loves not ! 

The old man continued to plead for some time, in order to bring to a suc- 
cessful issue the negotiation by which he hoped to "wet his whistle" and 
gain a son-in-law, — but all to no purpose. Our trader could not be persua- 
ded to form an alliance so entangling upon any such terms, and the chief- 
tain left with all the hneaments of disappointment and chagi-in depicted upon 
his countenance. 

The mode of marriage prevalent among the mountain and prairie tribes 
would seem rather strange and somewhat unfair to the better informed of 
civilized commimities. 

The lady has httle to say or do in the business. When an Indian takes 
it into his head to get married and meets with the squaw suiting his fancy, 
he wastes no time in useless courtsliip, but hastens to her fatlier and de- 
mands of him to know how much he loves his daughter and what gift of 
horses will make his heart rejoice in a son-in-law ? 

The fetlier, after consulting with his daughter and her mother, states tbs 

♦Keg. 



m POLYGAMT. 



terms. If these prove agreeable to the suitor, he immediately accepts 
them, and the twain " become one flesh " without further ceremony. 

In case the woman has no father, her eldest brotlier fills his place,— and 
if she have neitiier father nor brother, her next nearest relative assumes 
the responsibility of bestowing her in marriage. 

If she be the eldest daughter, and has unmarried sisters, the bridegroom 
becomes equally entitled to them, and is looked upon as their common hus- 
t)and. 

The first year succeeding this new relation, the bride's family consider 
all the horses and other valuables of tlie new-made husband as their cim; 
the second year he is permitted to retain his personal property for the use 
of himself and wife ; — but the third year he enjoys an equal right with his 
relatives to everything in their possession. 

The decision of parents in the bestowment of a daughter in marriage is 
generally controlled by the largeness of the amount offered ; thus showing 
Siat civilized life is not the only condition in which individuals are some- 
times governed by sordid motives in pronouncing upon questions of such 
vital importance to tlie welfare of others. 

The female is the only party upon whom the marriage contract is con- 
sidered binding. 

The man may sunder it at any time suiting nis convenience or caprice. 
He has tlie power, even, to dispose of his wife to another, or, at a mere 
word, to absolve himself from all obligation to her. In case of the latter, 
the discarded one returns to her father's lodge, — ready again to test the re- 
alities of tliis uncertain relationship, whenever an opportunity presents it- 
•elf meeting with the approval of tliose who assume to make barter of 
her alTections and person. 

A woman, to be happy in this state of society, should never indulge in 
that faiicied passion, pictuted in such glowing colors. by crack-brained 
poets and novel-writers, called love ; — or, if she has the assurance to do 
otherwise, it should be of that more versatile and accommodating order, so 
often exhibited in more refined circles, which may be reclaimed and trans- 
ferred as interest or circumstances suggest. Her affections are siot at her 
own disposal, and, to render life tolerable, she must learn to love only as 
•he is loved, and to love herself above all others. 

Next to horses, women constitute an Indian's chief wealth. This cir- 
cumstance not unfrequently results in one individual appropriating to 
himself six or eight. 

The squaw is compelled to dress robes and skuis, make moccasins. 
cure and take care of meat, attend to the horses, procure fire-wcod, and 
perform sundry other little drudgeries that an Indian will not do. 
Through her lie becomes possessed of the means of procuring from the 
whites such articles as his necessities or fancy may require. A plurality 
of wives with hun, therefore, is more a matter of economy than other 



1S5 



CHAPTER X. 

Tahtunga-goniska. — High gaming.— Weur-sena Warkpollo, a itrange Btoiy.-* 
The Death Song, a tale of love.— Medicine-men.— Extraordinary performance rf 
Tahtunga-mobellu.— Wonderful feats of jugglery. 

Among our daily visitors was Tahtunga-egoniska, a head chief of the 
Brule village. 

Years had bleached his locks with their taming frosts and taught him 
■elf-government. Well disposed as a man, he never became a participant 
in those disgusting sceneEj of intoxication that almost continually transpir- 
ed around us. He was a mere looker on — a momlizer ; and, as he witness- 
ed the blameworthy conduct of his people, an ill-suppressed sigh was fre- 
quently audible, and the inward workings of regret were plainly defined 
upon his countenance. Melancholy too had left her traces upon him, and, 
as he sat day by day in gloomy silence, he seemed the very impersonation 
of griefl 

Whenever the throng dispersed for a few moments, Jie would improve 
the opportunity for conversation with us ; for in the benevolence of his heart 
he loved the whites, and was greatly pained at the injuries and injustice it 
was so often their lot to endure. 

But he had a story of his own to tell ; it was a tale of affliction — a stab 
at the best feelings of a father's heart ! And, by whom ? By the very 
whites he loved ! Aye, by the very men whose business it was to degrade 
his people and ruin them by the contaminating effects of an unhallowed 
intercourse ! 

Six montlis had scarcely yet passed since the old chief had been called to 
mourn his youthful hope, and the pride and joy of his declining years — his 
first-born son ! And that son had fallen by the hand of the white man ! 

Still, the sorrow-stricken father harbored no thought of revenge ; he 
Bought nothing for himself save the locks of that son, tliat he might hang 
them within his lodge, and gaze upon thern and weep ! 

His simple tale was so touching in its nature it served to enlist the deep 
Bympathies of our hearts. We began to regard him with much deference, 
and felt quite at home in his company. He would frequently entertain us 
with his anecdotes as occasions suggested, and at such times he invaria- 
bly proved both agreeable and communicative. 

The history of his own hfe, too, was far from uninteresting. He wa« 
'the only one of the Brule chiefs, then living, wJio had signed the first 
treaty with the whites, since which he had ever observed its stipulations 
with scrupulous exactness, and still carefully retained a silver medal be- 
stowed upon him by the Government agent at that time. 

Some of his stories were garbed with a strange romance, and thouffli 
Uiey may appear foreign to truth in many respects, I camiot resist toe 
temptation of presenting a few of them to the reader. 
11* 



128 HIGH GAMINa. 



One day, several Indians had betted largely upon a "game of hand;*** 
this called forth from the old man the following story : 

" When a young man I delighted in war, and seldom did a party of cm 
people visit the enemy that included me not with its number. These 
scars tell where I stood when arrows flew thick — hastening to spill the 
blood of the brave. 

" Rarely did we return empty-handed from the foeman's land — without 
horses to ride or scalps to dance. Yet, at times we came back like fools, 
and were ashamed to appear at the soldiers' feasts. 

" One of these times I well recollect, and I will tell of it to my whit© 
children, that they also may remember it. 

" We were proceeding against the Crows, and, like experienced warri- 
ors, had sent our spy in advance to look for the enemy. Hurrying on, in 
momentary expectation of a conflict, the siout hearts of our braves were 
appalled by his return without robe or ainii, and scalpless— and with a 
face suffused in blood. 

" This v/as his story : The enemy, aware of our approach, were awaiting 
us in great numbers. Encountering their scouts, he had been robbed ana 
scalped, and left f jr dead. In this situation he lay till darkness shut down 
upon the mountain and the night-breeze gave him strength to meet us and 
advise our speedy return. 

"Beliedng the strange tale, we hastened to revisit our lodges, and bo 
laughed at. 

" Three moons sped, and we again penetrated the land of the foemen. 
The scalpless warrior, far in advance of the main party, once more dis- 
charged the duties of a spy. 

" This time a whoop of triumph announced the result of his mission, 
as he made his appearance with the scalps of two, waving from his spear. 

" He tarried not to relate his adventure, but urged us instantly onward. 
Following him, we were led to the enemy ; — we fought and were victo- 
rious. * 

" Among the slain was one whose scalp was wanting. Who has done 
this ? asked the wondering braves. But none answered. Our spy, smi- 
ling, at length broke silence : 

"'Behind yon hill,' said he, ' a fountain chants melody fit for warriors' 
ears, — let's to it, that we may drink.' 

" Following his direction, he led to a silvery spring overhung by crags 
and shaded by cottonwoods. 

" ' Drink, warriors,' he exclaimed ; when, withdrawing abruptly, he soon 
returned, and with the arms and robe which were his own in other days. 

' Warriors,' resumed the spy : ' you wondered at my mLshap, and 
lamented my hard lot v/hen last we visited the Crewman's country ; — you 
wondered at the condition of one among the recent slain, and asked for a 
reason ; — and, doubtless, you wonder still more that I now stand before 

* Ttiifi is a common game with the mountain Indians. It is commenced by one of th* 
players who encloses a gravel-stone or a bullet in tlie curve of his two hands by pla« 
cing the palms togellier, then, after sundry tosts and evolutions, suddenly oartinf 
thera. If the opposing party is shrewd enougli to guess in which hand the s. ne ii 
retained, he wins ; if not not, he loses. T.iarge amounts are often wagered upoE tb« 
ronilt of this play. 



A STRANGE STORY. 127 

you bearing the store of which I was deprived ! — and fain you would know 
in what manner I obtained the hair of two. 

"'Three times has the night-queen turned her full face to smile upon the 
prowess of Lacota arms, since at this very spot I met an enemy. We 
rushed towards each other for the attack. 'Twas then he cried : 

" ' Are we not both braves ? why should we tight ? When our people 
meet in the fray, then may we join arras, — till then, a truce.' 

«' To this I replied, 

" ' Says Crowman peace ? — then, be there peace.' 

" ' Thus said, we shook hands and sat down by the fountam. 

" * Willing to amuse the foe, I gathered a pebbJe and proposed a game 
of hand. The challenge was accepted, and we played, — first, arrow against 
arrow, then bow against bow, robe against robe, and scalp against scalp. 

" 'I was unsuccessful and lost all, — arrow, bow, robe, and scalp. I gave 
up all, but with the extorted promise that we should here meet again for 
another trial of skill. 

" ' True to the word, we did meet again. We played, and this time, the 
Good Spirit showed me kindness. 

" ' Winning back aiTows, bow and robe, I staked them all against the 
lost scalp. The game was a close one ; but again the Good Spirit favored 
me, and I won. 

" ' Crewman,' said I, * scalp against scalp.' 

" ' The banter was accepted, and the play continued. He lost, and I, 
with my winnings, arose to leave. 

" ' Warrior,' exclaimed the luckless player, * meet me in the fight, that 
we may try tlie game of arms,' 

" ' Thy words please me,' I answered. ' Will the Crowman name the 
place ?' 

" ' A valley lies beyond this hill,— there my people await their enemies, 
and there let me hope to see you with them.' 

'* ' To that place I led you. We fought and conquered. My opponent at 
play was among the slain. Need I tell you who took his scalp ?' " 

The old man seemed to take pleasure in acquainting us with the man- 
ners and customs of liis people, and was ever ready to assign a reason for 
any of them, whenever such existed. He repeated to us the names of all 
the streams, mountains, and prominent localities of the country, and 
explained the causes of their several christenings. 

Some thirty miles lo the westward of us, flowed a large creek, called by 
the Indians, " Weur-sena Warlipollo," or Old Woman's creek. This 
•tream is an affluent of the Chyenne river, and takes its rise at the base 
of a mountain bearing the same name. 

The mountain is an object of great veneration with the Sioux, who rarely 
enter into its neigliborhood without bestowing upon it a present of meat. 
The old man entertained us with the following explanation of a custom so 
singular : 

" My grandfather told me a tale he had received from the old men before 
kiira, and it is a strange one. 

" Many ages past bring us back to the time when the La^otas lived ia 
a country far above the sun of winter.* 

*TheQorUi. 



1^8 A STRANGE STORY. 

" Here, then, the Shoshone reared his white lodge, and scoured the 
prairies in pursuit of game ; while, as yet. the whole country abounded 
with Vdkes and ponds of water, and only the highlands and mountains were 
left for the buffalo and deer. 

" But years passed on, — the mountains and highlands continued to prey 
upon the waters, and the creeks and rivers gradually reduced the limits oi 
their possessions. 

" Years again fled. The Shoshones, attracted by some better region, fai 
away, or driven from their homes by the hostile encroachments of othei 
tribes, gave place to the Scarred-arms.* 

" In the course of generations, the Lacotas and the Scarred-arms war 
red with each other ; they fouglit with varied success for many years. 

" Once a party of the Lacotas penenetrated into the heart of the enemy's 
country ; on their return, they fell into an ambuscade, and ordy six of thera 
were left to tell the fate of their companions. 

" Hotly pursued by the ScaiTed-arms, they sought refuge in a mountain. 
There an obscure passage led to a recess in the mountain's side, which 
they entered, and were pleased to find within it a gTavelly floor, and a 
pure fountain of sweet water. 

" Tempted by the conveniences and security of the place, they thought 
to remain for a few days that they might recover their strength. A small 
fire was built accordingly, and the six braves seated tliemselves around it 
recounting to each other their perils and dangerous exploits, and planning 
some mode of extrication from their present difficulties. 

" Thus busied, a rustling noise from a dark corner of the apartment 
startled them, — but still more were they aroused by the half-disclosed form 
of a person mo\ ing in the distance. Words gave place to silence, as the 
warriors, seizing tiieir arms, a,waited the feared assault. But the figure, 
on advancing nearer, proved that of a feeble old woman, who addressed 
the wondering group in their own language. 

" ' Children,' said she, * you have been against the Scarred-arms, — ^you 
have fouglit them, — and oi a strong party, you alone survive. I know it 
all. 

♦* * You seek in my lodge a refuge from your pursuers, — and the sound of 
your voices with the heat of your council-fire has disturbed my rest and 
awoke me f. om a long, long trance. 

"'Your looks enquire my story. 

" ' Many ages have gone, (for days, moons, seasons, and ages are painted 
before me as they pass,) since the Shoshones, who hved where now live 
the Scarred-arms, visited the lodges of the Lacotas, and bade tlie prairie 
drink the blood of slaughtered braves. I was their captive, and witli the 
scalps of the slain I was taken from the graves of my people, many days 
travel. 

*' * The Shoshone brought me to this country, when yet the buffalo grazed 
■pen the hills and mountains, only ; for tlie valleys and plains were the 
home of waters. 

*" Living with tlie Shoshone, I was not happy. I thought of my peo- 

• Chyennes. The name owes its origin to the practice of scarring ths left aim 
wise yet adhered to by the males of that nation. 



A STRANGE STORY. 12* 



pie, with all tliose dear to me, and prayed the Good Spirit that I might 
again behold them ere my passage to the deatli-latid. 

" ♦ I fled, hoping to reach the home of my birth ;— but age had enfeebled 
me, and being pursued, I sought refuge in this cave. Here, having passed 
a night and a day in earnest communion with the Big Medicine,— a strange 
feeUng came upon me. I slumbered, in a dreamy state of consciousnest, 
from then till now. 

" * But your looks again ask, who are the Shoshones ? — ^what became of 
them ? And from whence were the Scarred-arms V 

" * The Lacotas will soon know the Shoshones, and bring from their 
lodges many scalps and medicine-dogs. Divided into two tribes, that 
nation long since sought home in other lands. One crossed tlie snow- 
hills towards tiie sun-setting ;— the Lacotas shall visit them, and avenge 
tJie blood and wrongs of ages. The other journeyed far away towards the 
eun of winter, and now live to the leftward of the places where the His- 
Danola builds his earth-lodge.* 

" ' Then came the Scarred-arms from a far off country, a land of much 
snow and cold. Pleased with the thickly tenanted hunting grounds that 
here met them, they stopped for the chase, and, by a possession through 
successive generations, have learned to consider these grounds as their 
own. But they are not theirs. 

" ' The Great Spirit gives them to the Lacotas, and they shall inhabit the 
>and of their daughter's captivity. 

" ' Why wait ye here ? Go and avenge the blood of your comrades 
upon tlie Scarred-arms. They even now light their camp-fire by the 
stream at the mountain's base. Fear not, — their scalps are yours ! 
Then return ye to my people, that ye may come and receive your inheri- 
tance. 

" ' Haste ye, that I may die. And, oh Warkantunga ! inasmuch as thou 
hast answered the prayer of thine handmaid, and shown to me the faces of 
my people, take me from hence.' 

" The awe-struck warriors withdrew. They found the enemy encamped 
at the foot of the mountain. They attacked him and were victorious ;— 
thirty-five scalps were the trophies of their success. 

" On reaching their homes the strange adventure excited the astonish- 
ment of the wiiole nation. The Scarred-arms were attacked by our war- 
riors, thus nerved with the hope of triumph, and were eventually driven 
from the country now possessed by the Locotas as their own. 

** The grateful braves soon sought out the mountain, to do reverence to 
the medicine-woman who had told them so many good things. A niche in 
the mountain-side, from v/hence issued a sparkling streamlet, told their 
p.a^e of refuge ; but the cave and the woman alike had disappeared. 

*'Each successive season do our warriors visit the Shoshones for scalps 
and medicine-dogS; — and each of our braves, as he passes the Old Woman's 

* It is a Biiigular fact, that tlie Cuinanches and Snakes, (Shoshones,) though living 
nearly a thousand nules distant from each other, with hostile tribes intervening, 
tpe&k precisely the same language, and call theraselvca by the same general n&ma. 
They have lost all tradition, however, of having formed one nation, in any previoui 
•9^ 



180 THE DEATH SONG. 



mountain, fails not to bestow upon it his tribute of veneration, or quenfli 
his thirst from the creek that bears her name." 

A place on White river — where the stream pours its full force against 
the base of a lofty peak, and the powerful attrition of its wateis has formed 
a rocky precipice of several hundred feet in height — is known as " The 
Death Song." The singularity of this name led me to enquire the reasons 
which prompted its bestowment. Ever ready to answer questions of this 
nature, the old chief related the following story : 

" Once, on a time, the Oglallas and Burnt-thighs held their encampmen 
upon the river, opposite to the high point of which my son enquires. While 
there, a dog-soldier* of the Burnt-thighs received the offer of six horses from 
an Oglalla brave, for his only daughter — a sweet flower — such an one as 
oft pierces the warrior's heart v.ith her charms, when the arrows of ene- 
mies fall harmless at his feet. The offer was quickly accepted — for the 
dog-soldier was poor. 

" When Chischille (for that was the name of the fair one) heard she 
was to become the wife of the Oglalla, she cried for grief, — and so cfbstinate 
was her resistance, the marriage was deferred for several days on that 
account. 

"But, why did Chischille grieve? She had looked upon a handsome 
warrior of her own village, and she loved him. She forgot her duty, as a 
daughter, to love only at her father's bidding. Her heart had been playing 
truant and had lost itself in the labyrintlis of girlish fancy. Bitter were 
the fruits of that presumption. 

** Chischille, in the interval, contrived to meet the one of her choice, and 
the two fled towards a distant village, there to live in the undisturbed en- 
joyment of their youthful loves. 

" But, alas, for them I They were pursued, and overtaken. The life of 
the young warrior atoned for his temerity, — while Chischille was cruelly 
beaten and brought back to her father's lodge. 

" The Oglalla had already paid the purchase price, and, ere the morrow's 
sunset, was to receive his fair prize at the hand of the dog-soldier. 

" Chischille, arising v.ith the dawn, fresh-plaited her hair, and arraying 
herself in her proudest attire, left the lodge. No one thought strange at 
seeing her thus gaily dressed for her wedding day, and, as she tripped 
along, many a warrior's heart beat high and loud at the thought that a 
creature so lovely was to become the bride of another. 

" Directing her course to tlie river, she crossed it and ascended the high 
peak upon tiie opposite side. There, seating herself upon the utmost verge 
of the precipice, she gazed calmly from its dizzy height. 

" In her lofty station, with her raven locks streaming in the wii^ds, and 
the matchlei'S beauty of her person so enchantingly exposed to vifew she 
seemed more like a behig of the Spirit-Land than aught human. Tha 
sweetest prairie-flov/er was ne'er half so lovely. 

" Her strange attitude arrested the eyes of all. 

" *Why sits she there ? — she will fall and be dashed to pieces !' was tht 
general cry. ' But hsten — she sings !' 

* This is the title of those selected to superintend tho civil afl&irs of a villa{{a> 



ASTONISHING FEATS OF JUGGLERY. 131 

*** Why should I stay, — ^he is gone. Light of my eyes, — joy of mj 
soul, — show me thy dwelling ! — 'Tis not here, — 'tis far away in the Spin! 
Land. Thither he is gone. Why should I stay ? Let me go !' 

" * Hear you that ?' said one. • She sings her death song. She will 
throw herself from the clifl*!' 

"At this, a dozen warriors, headed by him who claimed her hand, started 
to rescue the sweet singer from intended self-destruction. 

** Again she chants : 

** * Spirit of Death, set me free ! Dreary is earth. Joyless is time. 
Heart, thou art desolate ! Wed tliee another ? Nay. Death is thy 
husband ! Farewell, oh sun ! Vain is your light. Farewell, oh earth ! 
Vain are your plains, your flowers, your grassy dales, your purling streams, 
and shady gTOves ! I loved you once, — but now no longer love ! Taste- 
less are your sweets, —cheerless your pleasures ! Thee I woo, kind Death! 
Wahuspa calls me hence. In life we were one. We'll bask together in 
the Spirit Land. Who shall sunder there ? Short is my pass to thee. 
Wahuspa, I come !' 

" Upon this she threw herself forward, as the warriors grasped at her ; 
but, leaving her robe in their hands, she plunged headlong and was dashed 
to pieces among the rocks below !* 

" E'er since, the young warrior sighs as he beholds this peak, and thinks 
of the maiden's death song." 

Conversing upon the subject of medicine-men, he was asked, why those 
individuals are so highly esteemed by his people ? To this he replied : 

" These men are regarded as the peculiar favorites of the Great Spirit, 
to whom is imparted a more than ordinary share of His power and wisdom. 
We respect them, therefore, in proportion to the abilities they receive, 
even as we reverence the Great Spirit." 

Here the question was proposed, how are their abiUties above those of 
others ? 

*' The Yellow-hair counts as his soldier Tahtunga-mobellu, — a man of 
strong medicine. To him the Great Spirit has imparted the power of heal- 
ing, by imbibing, at pleasure, the diseases of the sick, and discharging them 
from his eyes and nose in the form of live snakes.f 

" On a time, years past, our young men went to the Pav^mees and came 
back crying; for sixteen slain of their number were left to grace an enemy's 
triumph. 

" It was winter, and the moans of men and maidens mingled with the 
howling winds. Sorrow beclouded every brow, and brave looked upon 
brave as if to enquire, ' Who shall wipe out this disgrace ?' Then it was a 
medicine-chief stood up, and his words were : 

** * Be it for me to consult the Good Spirit.' 

• A tale which went the rounds oi the public prints, several years since, entitled 
the *' Maiden's Leap," affords a seeming coincidence in the mode of suicide ; but, bf 
comparing the two, the reader will observe a broad dissimilarity of detail. In pen 
Ding the above I was guided solely by the leading incidents as related in my heaiingi 

t Tahtunga^mobellu receives the averment of all his villagera in proof of thb 
■injigttMtt. 



IM THE MEDICnCE-MAlf . 



** So saying, he entered his lodge alone, nor suffered any to come new 
during the long fast that followed. Darkness had closed four times upon 
the prairie, and the sun again hastened to hide behind the mountam peaks, 
when, calling the young men to him, the medicine-man said : 

«* Fetch me now meat and water, with a new robe, and bid my people 
come near, that they may know the words that I would speak.' 

" The obedient braves made haste and did as bidden. Folding the robe, 
he sat upon it and partook of the refreshments placed before him. After 
eating he arose, and six large snakes, crawling from tlie robe one after 
another, sprang to his shoulder, and, whispering in his ear, vanished from 
eight. The last snake had just told his message v/hen the chief began : 

"* The Good Spirit wills it, that we remove from hence. Three moons 
being dead, let three hundred warriors return, and their hearts shall be 
made glad with medicine-dogs and the scalps of enemies.' 

"The village left, and, at the time appointed, the warriors returned. They 
met the enemy, — fought, and were victorious. Sixty-three scalps and one 
hundred medicine-dogs wore the fruits of their success." 

Before dismissing tiie subject, many other particulars were cited in proof 
of the extraordinary abilities of different medicine-men, but the above being 
the most remarkable, I have thought proper to pass over the remainder in 
silence. 

Note. — A.n account, still more wonderful than either of the foregoing, was eubao- 
quently narrated in my Jiearing, while among the Arapaho Indians; and, without 
vouching for the truth of all its pariicuJars, i am unwilling to withhold it from th« 
reader. 

The performance aUudcd to is said to have occurred, some three years since, in the 
presence of the whole Arapaho village, mcredible as it may seem. Tlie actor was a 
kiccaree by nation, and is well known to the mountain traders. 

In the centre of a large circle of men, women, and children, stood the subject of 
the appended sketch, stripped to the waist, as the gunner's mark. A shot perforated 
Ms body with a bullet, whic h entered at the chest and emerged from the opposite side. 
He instantly fell, and tlie blood flowing in streams dyed the grass where he lay, and 
everything seemed to prefigure the reality of death. 

While in this condition, Ms wife approached and besprinkled Ms face with water; 
Boon after which he arose, as from a slumber — the blood still pouring from Mm. 
Beplastering his wound with mud before and behind, the blood ceaiped to flow, when 
he commenced yawmng and stretching ; in a few nunuies the plaster was removed by 
a pass of the hand, and neither blood, nor womid, nor the sign of a scratch or scai 
appeared ! 'iliere stood the self- restored medicine-man, before the wondering throng 
alive and well, and in all the pride of his strength! 

He then brought Ms naked son into the ring, a lad of some eight years, and, stand 
ing at a distance of several yards, bow in hand, he pierced him through and through, 
firom diaphragm to vertebrae, at three successive shots'. 

The boy fell dead, to every appearance, and the tMck blood freely coursed from hi» 
wounds. 

The performer then clasped the body in Ids anns and bore it around the ring for 
the inspection of all, three times in succession. Upon this he breathed into Ms mouth 
and nostrils, and, aft( r suffusing his face witii water and covering his wounds with a 
mud piaster, he commenced brief manipulations upon his stomach, which soon ended 
in a complete recovery, nor left a f^ingle trace of injuiy about him. 

Both of these ftiats, if performed as said, can scarcely admit the possibility of trick 
•r Blight of hand, and must stand as the most astoMshing instances of iugglery en 
rMord. 




Aif Indian CONJUEdR. — Pag& !»}. 



U 



115 



CHAPTER XL 

Food fbr horses. — Squaws and their perfonnances. — Dogs aiid dog-meat.— Reltim tf 
Fort. — Starvation.— Travel by guess.— Death from drinking.— Medicine-making.— 
A burial. — Little Lodge and the French trader. — A speech in council.— Journey tf 
White river.— High winds and deep snow. — Intense sufferings and painful results. 

A LARGE grove of Cottonwood near us, day after day was graced by groups 
of village squaws, armed with axes, for the procurement of horse food. 

The bark of this tree is eaten freely by both horses and mules, and 
answers well as a substitute for corn or oats. Animals will thrive upon it 
in a remarkable manner, and even in the summer months they prefer it to 
grass. The bark of red elm is also used for the same purpose. 

The operations of the squaws at such times contributed greatly to our 
amusement Climbing fearlessly to the topmost branch of the highest 
tree, they would there lop off the surrounding boughs, with as much appa- 
rent ease as though footed upon terra firma. 

And then, the enormous loads they would carry, lashed together with 
cords and slung to their backs, were enough to make a giant stagger. 
Dogs, harnessed to travees, had their part to perform, and ofttimes were 
they a source of vexation to tlieir mistresses. 

A squaw, trudging along under a full donkey-load of Cottonwood, and 
followed by a squad of half-naked children, presented a spectacle quite in- 
teresting ; but this was rendered rather comical, withal, when two or three 
draught-dogs with their heavy-laden travees reluctantly brought up the 
rear — every now and then lying down for weariness, or squatting to loll 
and gaze at their companions. 

Now, she coaxes and caresses to urge them forward — they still delay. 
Then she turns briskly towards them with a stick, — get out, dogs !— 
" Yierh ! Warktashne ceicha," cries tlie squaw, accompanying her denun- 
ciation with blows, and away go the yelping troop as fast as legs can carry 
them. 

Dogs are the necessary appendage of every Indian lodge, and generally 
form an equal portion of the village population. They present almost all 
the different varieties of the canine species, from the wolf to the spaniel, 
and from the spaniel to the hairless dog of Africa. The wolf, however, is 
predominant, and, taken together, they more assimilate a gang of wolvea 
than anything else. Indeed, the different varieties of prairie wolves hold 
familiar intercourse with the village dogs, and associate with them on 
friendly terms. 

The species used for draught, is a large, stout-built, wolfish- looking 
creature, of the Exquimaux breed. Trained to his duties in early life, he 
is generally both submissive and tractable. The drudgery of a squaw, 
which is at all times onerous, without his ready aid would prove past 
ondunuice. 



136 lECDICINB-MAKirfO. 

But these dogs are also useful in another respect. Their flesh fur- 
Bifhes an article highly esteemed foi- food, and which almost invariably 
graces the soldiers' feast and every other scene of coaviviaiity. However 
much the squamishness of the reader may revolt at the suggestion, justice 
impels rae to say, the flesh oi: a fat Indian dog, suitably cooked, is not infe- 
rior to fresh pork ; and, by placing side by side select paiis of the two, it 
would be no easy task even for a good judge to toll the difference, ty either 
looks or taste, unless he were previously informed. 

Towards the last of January, buffalo having left the vicinity, the Indiaas, 
as a necessary consequence, were compelled to move. A great scarcity 
of provisions prevailed among them, and we ourselves were scarcely better 
oflT than they. 

Our stock in hand was nearly exhausted, and an abandonment of the 
post became absolutely neces.sary, — a thing, however, which could not be 
performed without a fresh supply of horses and cattle from Fort Platte. 
For this purpose, I volunteered my services, and, accompanied by two 
engages, was promptly under way. 

A few hours' ride broughl us to the head of White river, where, con- 
suming at a meal our scanty eatables, from tliat onward we were left en 
tirely destitute. 

This was the first occasion subjecting me to tlie pains of hunger for so 
long a time. The second day I experienced the greatest annoyance, and 
then ic was I felt some of the realities of starvation. The third day, how- 
ever, I awoke in tlie morning scarcely thinking of breakfast. In fact, 
my appetite seemed quite passive, and the only sensation I felt was a 
kind of weakness and lassitude, evincing the lack of proper nourish- 
ment. 

The morning was cloudy and threatening. Soon after leaving camp, 
snow began to fall, thick and fast. TJie day proved so dark, objects were 
indiscernible at the distance of a hundred yards in advance. Travelhng, 
as we were, over a trackless prairie, with nothing to guide us but the wind 
and the position of the grass, it was by the merest accident we reached 
our destination a few minutes before nightfall. 

Our sudden appearance was the occasion of general surprise to the 
Port hands, and, after a brief explanation, we began to make amends for 
previous abstinence. 

At first, a few mouthfuls sufficed, — but soon I again felt hungry and 
could be satisfied only with a double quantity, — in an equally short time 
my stomach demanded a still further supply, and, by the next day, hunger 
became so keen it seemed almost insatiable. An interval of three or four 
weeks was requisite before it assumed its wonted tone. 

During our stay here, an Indian family, occupying one of the^ Fort 
rooms, indulged themselves in a drunken spree. 

Ha\ang procured a quantity of the Ame-ican Fur Company's liquor, the 
effects of their lavish potations soon became manifest to all within 
hearing distance. But the din of drunken revelry erelong assumed the wail 
of mourning and sorrow. 

Hearing the strange commotion, I entered the room to ascertain tba 



ABURIAl^ 157 



eanse. There lay, helpless upon tlie floor, and apparently at the point of 
death, a squaw ol some eighteen years ; — she, in her eagerness, had swal- 
lowed nearly a pint of the vile stuff, undiluted, and now experienced its 
dreadful consequences. 

But most conspicuous in the throng was a large, obese, cross-eyed Indiai^ 
earnestly engaged in his medicine-performances for her recovery. 

A breech-cloth was his sole garb, as, with eyes half strained from their 
sockets and volving in a strange unearthly manner, he stood, first upon one 
foot and then upon the otlier, alternately — then, stamping the floor as if to 
crush it through, and meanwhile, grunting, screeching, and bellowing, and 
beating his breast or the wall with hie clenched fists, — then, witii iSialed 
breath, swelling like a puff"-b8Jl, he would bend over his patient and apply 
Bugescents to her mouth, throat and breast. 

This done, sundry ejections of sahva prepared his mouth for the recep- 
tion of an ample draught of water, with which he bespatted her face and 
forehead. 

Bat yet, all these extraordinary eflbrts failed to produce their designed 
efiect. The poor squaw gi*ew \v^eaker, and her breathing became fainter 
and more difficult. 

Some powerful restomtive must be adopted, or she will soon be beyond 
the reach of medicine, — so thought the officiating doctor ; or, at least, his 
succeeding antics indicated tliat such were the cogitations of his mind. 
Standing for a minute or two in the attitude of reflection, an idea stuck 
him. Ah, he has it now ! This cannot fail. 

Snatching a butcher-knife and hastening with it to the fire, he heats the 
point to redness upon the coals, — then balancing it between his teeth, at a 
toss he flings it vaulting above his head and backward upon the floor,— 
then, re-catching it, he goes tlu-ough the performance a second and a third 
time. 

Thus premised, he addresses himself with threefold energy to the gro- 
tesque and uncouth manoeuvres before described. If he had stamped hia 
feet, he now stamps them with a determination hitherto unknown ; — if he 
had thumped his breast and beat the walls, he now thumps and beats as if 
each blow were intended to prostrate the object against which it was directed, 
— if he had grunted, screeched, and bellowed, he now grunts, screeches, 
bellows, and yells, till the very room quakes with tlie reverberations of 
demoniac noise ; — if he had gagged, piiifed, and swelled, he now gags, 
puff's, and swells, as if he would explode from the potency of his extraor- 
dinary inflations. 

Then, with an air of confidence^ he hies to his patient and commences 
a process of manipulation from her breast downwards, and reverse, — and 
then again he repeats his previous operations, witli scrnpulous exactness 
and unsparing effort, in all their varie i minutiae. 

But, alas for the medicine-man ! — the squaw died, despite the omnipo- 
tence of his skill ! 

Then was enacted another such a scene of piteous wailing, as Indians 
alone have in requisition, as vent for their grief. 

After the usual preliminaries, the corpse of the deceased was placed 
«pon a scaffold beside that of Susu-ceicha, the old chief of whom I hare 
•poken in a former chapter. Each member of the bereaved family depo» 
12* 



138 SPEECH OF LTTTLE LODGE. 

ited a tuft of hair in the sack containing the meat and trinkets placet 
beneath her head. A smooth piece of cottonwood slab was then affixed t< 
the scaffoldj upon which were traced, in vermilion, certain quadrangula] 
characters of unknown meaning, — answering well to the idea of ai 
inscription of name and age. 

A difficulty occurred about this time between a trader of the American 
Fur Company and an Oglalla chief, known as Little Lodge. 

The latter had become crazed by Hquor, and, being rather turbulent, was 
put out of the Fort. But, effecting a re-entrance, he again proved equallj 
annoying. The trader then commenced quarrelling with him, and under, 
took to seize his arms. This the Indian resisted, when the trader discharg- 
ed a pistol at him, but missed his object. Here was a deadly affront, thai 
blood alone could wipe away. 

With great difficulty, the Indian was finally disarmed and bound. He 
was thus secured till the next day, when he was liberated ; — still, however, 
he muttered threats of revenge. 

Two or three weeks subsequently, Little Lodge was present at a soldiers' 
feast, and the question of war with th^ Americans was a prominent sub> 
ject of consideration. 

Several speeches were made, both for and against it ; and, though the 
prevailing sentiment seemed to be of an adverse kind, it scarcely required 
a half-dozen words to turn the scale upon either side. 

Little Lodge arose to address the council, and the friends of the whites, 
knowing the vengeful spirit that yet rankled in his bosom at the reraem- 
brance of his recent injuries, began to fear for the contmuance of peace. 

Contrary to the universal expectation, he contended for its maintenance. 
" But," said he, " Little Lodge has grievances of his own, and they call foi 
redress. 

" There is one among the pale-faces whose blood must wash away the 
foul blot that rests upon the name of Little Lodge. I know him well. 
He is not a Long-knife. The Long-knives are dl the friends of Little 
Lodge. Let the Lacota take them by the hand whenever he meets them 
upon the prairie. It is good that he do so. They are very many and ex- 
ceedingly rich. Their country is a large one, and far away towards the 
Bunrising. They, too, are strong for war. They have big hearts and 
strong, and they are very good to 3ie red man. They bring to him many 
good things ; why, then, should the Lacota hate the Long-knife ? 

" Do my brothers ask who it is of the pale-faces the Little Lodge would 
remove from the light of day ? Knowf then, he is not of the Long-knives, 
— he is of the Warceichas, (Frenchmen.) The Warceichas are not Long- 
knives ! 

" And, do my brothers ask, who are the Warceichas ? 

" Aye, who are they',? Little Lodge cannot tell ; — who of all the Laco- 
tas can ? Who ever heard of the country of these men ? No one. They 
have no country, — they are no people. They are are as the wandering 
dogs * that infest our hunting grounds and prey upon the game formed by 
the Good Spirit for the red man's sustenance. They steal into the land of 

* Cliimka-monet, or travtlling dogs, is the name applied by these Indians to wd^vc 



INTENSE SUFFERING. 139 



the red man, and sneak around from place to place ; — for they hare no 
home ; they have no country ; they are no people ! 

" One of these it was who bade the medicine-iron speak its death-word 
to Little Lodge, and sought to spill the blood of a Lacota brave, after that 
he had made him a fool by means of his thickened* fire-water! 

" Should Little Lodge fall by the hand of the Warceicha ? He might 
fall by the hand of a Long-knife, and the nation would honor his memory, 
— but never, should the Warceicha bring him low ! 

" Then, is it not good that Little Lodge should be avenged upon this 'ost 
dog— this outcast of the world — that the whelps of a motherless breed may 
cease to insult and wrong the Lacotas? Which of all my brothers will 
say nay ?" 

The address was received in silence, — no one presuming to oppose an 
answer to its sentiments. Wliether the speaker executed his threats of 
vengeance against the offending trader, I am yet unadvised. 

Having remained two nights and a day at Fort Platte, we again started 
for White river, taking with us* three yoke of oxen and several horses, one 
of which was laden with dried meat. 

The snow greatly retarded our progress from the first, and so obscured 
the trail we were compelled to travel mostly by guess. The sun, too, was 
shut oiit by a tenebrous atmosphere, and we could judge of our proper 
course only by observing the movements of the clouds,! with the general 
range of the hills and ravines, or incUnation of the grass. 

The broad expanse of unbroken snow lying from Rawhide to L'eau-qui- 
court, brought a chill tremor with the thought of crossing it Yet, go we 
must ! It was no time to falter when the fate of others, perhaps, depend- 
ed upon our prompt advance. 

But the effort was no child's play. If we had experienced a tedious 
time during a former journey, what could we expect now ? The whole 
interval of thirty miles was covered with snow, that grew deeper and deep- 
er as we proceeded. Every hollow and ravine was filled, and the route 
otherwise seriously impeded by huge drifts and embankments. 

We were frequently compelled to break foot-paths for our animals, and 
ever and anon pull them by main strength from the deep pitfalls into which 
tliey would plunge and become almost lost to view. In this manner our 
progress was slow, — the average depth through which we waded being 
out little less than two feet. 

The rising of a fierce head wind, piercing as the blasts of Nova Zem- 
bla, drove the snow into our faces with mad fury and added immeasurably 
to our suflTerings. 

♦ Allusion is here made to the drugged liquor supposed to have been palmed upon 
nim by the trader. 

t The idea of directing our course by the movements of the clouds is doubtless a 
novel suggestion to most readers ; but its philosophy will be readily comprehended by 
a bare mention of the fact, that the winds of these regions almost invariably blow 
from a west-southwest pomt ; and, as they are usually high, it is no very extraordi- 
nary performance to calculate the bearing of north or south, oven in the most ' * 
WMtba» 



140 A HORRIBLE CONDITION. 

. In this manner night shut down upon us, while yet far distant from uxy 
camping-place. And, such a night ! Oh, storms and deadly v\ inter, ku. 
and fierce ! how swept ye " through the darkened sky," and with your 
awful howlings rendered " the savage wilderness more wild !" 

The creeping cold on every nerve played freely, in haste to sting our 
vitals, and lay us each 

along the snows a stiffen'd corse, 



Stretch 'd out and bleacliing in the northern blast !" 

The impress of this event can never be effaced from my mind. t was 
midnight ere we arrived at the limberless L'eau-qui-court and struck 
camp. Our animals needed water, but we had neitlier axe or tomahawk 
to cut through the thick ice wit'a which the creek was coated. As a 
lemedy for this lack, all three of us advanced upon it, and, by our united 
efforts at jumping, caused a lengthy fissure with gentle escarpments to- 
wards each shore, that left midway an ample pool. 

Having driven the cattle to this, in their clumsy movements upon the 
ice, two of them fell, and, sliding down the inclined plain, lay struggling in 
the freezing water, unable to rise. Our only resort was to drag them to 
the shore by main strength ; for, left in their ihen condition, they must have 
frozen to death in a very short time. 

Here commenced a series of pulling and wrenching, that, in our chilled 
and exhausted state, we were ill-prepared to endure. 

For awhile our eflbrts proved vain. A backward-shde succeeded each 
headway-pull, and vexed us with useless toil. Thus we worried for nearly 
three hours in water knee-deep ! 

At length, having procured a rope and fastened one end to their horns 
and the other around a pointed rock upon the shore, and gathering the slack 
at each successive thrust, we finally succeeded in placing them both, one 
after the other, upon dry land. 

But, now we v.-ere in a thrice sorry plight. Not a stick of vv^ood could 
be raised, far or near, of which to build a fire, and hois de vaclie, the great 
substitute of the prairies, was too deeply covered vv^ith snow for procure- 
ment. Our clothes, wet to the waist, were frozen upon us, and the merci- 
less wind, with stinging keenness, })ierced us through at every breath, and 
Btood us forth as living monuments of ice ! 

Could men of iron endure such incomprehensible hardships — such in- 
expressible sufferings ? Yet we sur^^ved them all ! 

Spreading a few robes upon the snow, we lay down for sleep, dinnerless 
and supperless. I v/as now seized with a chili, which lasted for two hours 
or more ; and so violent were its actions I could scarcely keep the covering 
upon me. 

My companions, however, though not similarly afflicted, were worse off 
than myself One had his hands and ears frozen, and the other his hands 
and feet, — the painful consequences of which, as the frost began to yield to 
the influence of generated warmth, were too apparent in their groans and 
writhin^s. 

Morning at length came, and the sun arose bright and clear TIm 




H0E8E AITACKED BY WOLVES. - P«?e "3. 



13 



HORSES DETOURED BY WOLVES. 1^ 

winds had ceased their ragings, and a clement atmosphere seemed pouring 
upon us the balm of sympathy for miseries so recently endured. 

But their direful effects were not thus easily eradicated. The feet of ono 
poor fellow were so badly frozen, it was three months before he entirely 
recovered ; while another lost a portion of one of his ears. A« for myself, 
a severe cold settled in my teeth, producing an intensely painful ach« 
and swoollen face, that continued for eight or ten days. 

It seems almost miraculous that we should have escaped so easily, aiid 
often, even after so long an interval, I shudder at the recollection of this 
anguishing scene. 

Two days subsequently we reached our destination, and foond all thiofi 
•ntty much in statu quo. 



CHAPTER XII. 

4aother drunken spree.-^Horses devoured by wolves. — An upset— A blowing up.— 
Daring feat of wolves.— A girl offered for liquor.— Winter on the Platte.— Boal 
bmlding.— Hunting expedition.— Journey up the Platte. — Island camp. — Narrow 
••cape.— Snow storm —Warm Spring.— Pass of the Platte into the prairies.— A 
valley. — Bitter Cottonwood.— Indian forts. — Wild fruit. — Root-digging.*~Cherry 
tea and its uses.— Geology of the country.— Soils, grasses, herbs, plants, and puritf 
of atmosphere.— Horse-shoe creek.— A panther. — Prairie dogs and their peculiar- 



OuB intended evacuation of the post waa posponed till the week follow- 
ing, and, meanwhile, the few customers, that still hung on, were carefiil to 
improve the passing opportunity of steeping their senses in liquor. 

Another general drunken frohc was the consequence, ending as naoal in 
a %ht and still furtlier attempts upon the life of our trader. 

&x)n after this, our catalogue of disasters was increased by the death 
of two horses, which fell a prey to wolves. 

The case was an aggravated one, and provoking in the extreme. Both 
of them were " buffalo horses," and the fleetest and most valuable in our 
Dossession, — ^in fact, they were the only ones of which we ventured to boaat 
We had Dthers of little woitli, so poor and feeble they could oppose none 
reeifltance to magpies,* and much less to the rapacity of wolves. 

But, no. These blood-thirsty depredators, desirous of a feast of fat 
things, were determined to have it, reckless of cost, — and, the encrimsoned 
tracks, coursing the snowy plain in every direction where passed the swift 



*The magpie of the mountains is the torment of all sore-baeked boiiM. paftlealarty 
iorinff the wmter season. Dospite oppoeitioa it will feed spoo thtir ddniwi iiiii, 
•Sn to tb0 vwT boMs. 



144 BOAT BUILDING. 

chargers m vain eSbri to escape, proved that they won their supper at an 
enonnous expense of leg-wear. 

Feb. Ath. All things being in readiness, we bade farewell to winter- 
quarters, and commenced our journey. 

Crossing the river soon after, on ascending the opposite bank, a cart up- 
set and deposited its contents in the water. The load, consisting of robes 
and powder, became thoroughly saturated, and we were employed a full 
hour in fishing it out. The stream being waist-deep and filled with floating 
ice, amid which we were forced to plunge, our task was far from a 
pleasant one. 

The freight needed drying, and we were detained two days for that pur- 
pose. Meanwhile the drenched powder was subjected to the experiments 
of one of our engages. Having spread it to dry, he was carelessly bend- 
ing over it, when a spark from the camp-fire struck the ready ignitible ; 
a sprightly flash, enveloping the luckless wight in a sheet or flame, told 
the instant result Springing to his feet, he exclaimed : 

" Bless my stars ! That's what I call regular blowing up .'" 

" Aye, aye, my lad," says one. " You was always a bright youth, — but 
never before did you appear half so brilliant. 'Tis a fact, or I'm a liar !" 

Resuming our course, the second night following was passed at a pool 
of water between L'eau-qui-court and Rawhide. Here, having placed my 
shoes under my head for better security, I slept soundly till morning. 
Rising at an early hour, I turned for them, but one was missing, and, after 
searching far and near, it could not be found. 

The mystery of its disappearance, however, was fully solved by the nu- 
merous wolf tracks that appeared on all sides ; — some straggling marauder 
had stolen it during the night, and quietly deposited it in his empty stomach 
as the substitute for an early breakfast. 

Our camp at Rawhide was beset with a throng of Indians from an adjoin- 
ing village, who, as usual, were loudly clamorous and importunate for liquor. 
A beautiful young squaw was brought in, to exchange for that article. 
However, their solicitations were of no avail and their vitiated appetites 
went unappeased. 

On tlie 12th of February we reached the Fort, and thus ended our disas- 
trous and eventful expedition. 

Winter in the neighborhood of the Platte had been remarkably mild, 
and at no time during the season had the snow remained upon the ground 
to exceed a day. Vegetation, even thus early, was beginning to put forth, 
and bring to view the beauty and loveliness of spring. 

Preparations were already on foot for building a Imt for the transporta- 
tion of furs to the States by way of the river, and, at the solicitation of 
of the company's agent, I reluctantly consented to take charge of it during 
tlie voyage, — thus deferring, for the present, my design of visiting Oregon. 
The timber used in its construction was procured firom the neighboring 
pine hills, and prepared by a laborious process of hand, with tbe aid of a 
pit-saw. The ribs and other timber were obtained from an ash grove, a few 



A PETTi LOOKING SET. 145 

miles above the Fort, and three men were busily engaged in putting all 
things in readiness for the expected spring rise — an event which seldom 
occurs before the I5th*cf May. 

The winter's trade having closed, an interval of nearly three months' 
leisure followed, which resulted in a hunting expedition that included my 
self with six others. 

Anxious to explore the mountains, we set our faces westward ; but, owing 
to the reported closeness of game en route^ very little provisions were 
taken with other necessaries. 

Keeping the river bottom by a rocky ridge for some ten miles, oar course 
led through several beautiful groves and broad stretches of rich alluvial 
soil, that presented an encouraging prospect to agriculturists. After a 
few hours' ride we came to a point at which the stream sweeps round the 
ridge's base, causing a vertical wall of lias and sandstone nearly one hun- 
dred and fifty feet high. 

Abandoning tlie river bottom at this place, we ascended to the high 
prairie on the left, where an interesting plateau greeted us, extending far 
away to the south and west, till it became lost in the neighboring moun- 
tains. • Continuing on a short distance, we again struck the river, at a 
small opening between two hills, and made camp in a grove of willows. 

Opposite this place is a large heavily wooded island, of a blueish loam, 
upon a subtratum of fossiliferous limestone. 

Above and bslow are lofty walls of limestone and ferrugiuous rock, that, 
in many places, overhang the sweeping waters at their base, and form roof- 
age beneath v/hich swarms of prairie swallows are wont to raise their 
annual broods. 

Consuming our scanty supply of provisions at a single meal, each soon 
disposed of himself for the night. A mild atmosphere invited to reposa ; 
and, enwrapped in a single robe, my troubles were speedily forgotten in a 
quiet slumber. 

But during the succeeding interval, a change came over the spirit of 
my dream, I was suddenly aroused by the crash of a huge tree, that fell 
across my bed, and only a providential curve arching upwards, had saved me 
from instant death ! 

"Hurra, for me!" I exclaimed, as my startled carapmates came cluster- 
ing around, — " It's better to be born lucky than rich!" 

The wind v/as nov/ blowing a perfect hurricane, and the trees tottered 
around us, threatening every moment to fall. In an hour or so, however, 
tlie gale abating, we again addressed ourselves to sleep. 

Tov/ards morning, feeling a disagreeable warmth and superincumbent 
pressure, I was induced to uncover, and, looking out, the cause was ex- 
plained by the presence of a dense snow that covered the ground to the 
depth of several inches. The fallen snow was melting fast, and that yet 
descending soon merged into rain. 

A pretty-looking set of fellows were we, in a comparatively short time ! 
— ^blankets, robes, clothes, and every article about us were wet — soaking 
wet — -and covered with mud. It required an effort of several hours to 
kindle a fire, so thoroughly saturated was everything with water ; — Xhii 
done, we all gathered around it, and — such a group ! — Oh, the beautiea 
of mud aud water ! A painter might describe it, — I cannot, 
13 



146 nfDIAN FORTS. 

If the reader imagines we felt in a superlative good humor while stand- 
ing there, breakfastless, shivering, and wet, he has conjured up a strange 
illusion. 

It having ceased raining about mid-day, in the course of the afternoon 
we enjoyed a beautiful sunshine for a couple of hours, which enabled us 
to assume a better travelling plight; and, favored by a mild atmosphere and 
clear sky, on the following morning, we again resumed our course. 

Striking upon an Indian trail, we bore leftward from the river, and, in a 
short ride, came to a sand creek shui in by precipitous embankments of 
limestone, cnrougli which our road led by a narrow defile. A transparent 
spring gushes from the right bank with considerable noise, furnishing a 
beautiful streamlet to its hitherto high bed, which is knov/n as the " Warm 
Spring." 

A short distance above the mouth of this creek, the Platte makes its 
final egress from the Black Hills through a tunnel-kke pass, walled in 
upon either side by precipitous cliffs of red-sandstone and siliceous lime- 
stone, sometimes overhanging the stream at their base, and towering to a 
height of from three to five hundred feet. The high table lands consti- 
tuting these immense walls, are surmounted with shrubs and occasional 
pines and cedars, that unite to present a wild romantic scenery. 

Continuing on, and bearing still further leftward, we passed a beautiful 
valley, graced with several springs and a small grove of cottonwood, with 
cherry and plum bushes, near which rose a conical hill abundant in fos- 
siliferous limestone of a snowy whiteness. A diminutive pond in the vicin- 
ity afforded several varieties of the testaceous order, both bivalves and 
univalves — a circumstance quite rare among mountain waters. The soil 
of this locality appeared to be a compound of clay, sand, and marl, and 
well adapted to agriculture. 

Passing this, our course led over a gently undulating prairie, bounded 
on either side by pine hills. The soil was generally of a reddish, sandy 
loam, intermixed with clay ; and, judging from the long dry grass of the 
preceding year, it was both rich and productive. 

Towards night we arrived at a large creek, bearing the name of Bittei 
Cottonwood,— so called from the abundance of that species of poplar in 
its valley. 

These trees generally grow very tall and straight with expansive tops, 
— averaging from twenty-five to one hundred and fifty feet in height. 

The creek occupies a wide, sandy bed, over which the water is dispersed 
in several shallow streams. The valley is broad and of a jetty, vegetable 
mould, variegated, at intervals, with layers of gravel deposited by aqueous 
currents, and is bounded on both sides by abrupt acclivities leading to the 
beautiful plateaux and lofty pine hills so abundant in the neighborhood. 

The remains of three or four Indian forts were situated adjoming the 
place selected for our encampment. These were built of logs, aiTanged 
in a circular form, and enclosing an area, sufficient for the accommodation 
of twenty or thirty warriors. The walls were generally about six feet 
high, with single entrances, and apertures in various places for tf»e use of 
their defenders in case of attack. 

All Indian forts, meeting my observation in subsequent travels, with one oi 
two exceptions, were of the same general description. Some, how«f«r 



CHERRY TEA. 147 



tie almost entirely roofed in by an arched covering, presenting a coniform 
appearance. The only exception to this mode of fortification was of a 
quadrangular form, and in a solitary instance the materials were of rock. 
The latter structure I shall take occasion to describe in due course. 

The valley gave abundant indication of wild fruit at the proper season, — 
euch as plums, cherries, currants, goose and butialo berries, (shepherdia 
argentea.) The signs of game were very plentiful, particularly elk ;— 
after camp two or three of us sallied out with our rifles in quest of these 
wary animals, while others were busily em.ployed in digging for roots tc 
appease the gnawing of appetite, which began to make itself most sensibly 
felt by all. 

About sundown both parties came in, — the hunters quite dispirited, not 
having seen any thing in the shape of elk or other game, — but the root 
diggers had been more lucky and brought with them a small supply of 
nutritious aliments, which were divided equally among the company, — and, 
through scarcely a half dozen mouthfuls were apportioned to each, they 
answered, to some extent, the designed object. 

These roots consisted of two varieties, viz : pomme llanc, and com- 
mote. 

The pomme blanc, or wliite apple, is a native of the prairies and moun- 
tains, oval shaped and about three and a half inches in circumference. It 
is encased in a thin fibrous tegument, which, when removed, exposes an 
interior of white pulpy substance, much hke a turnip in taste. It gen- 
erally grows at a depth of three or fonr inches, in the soil of hill-sides 
and plateaux, where is found a reddish clay loam abundant in fragmentary 
rocks and gravel. The stalk attains a height of about three inches, and in 
general description is quite like a well known article, common to the States, 
called " sheep-sorrel." At the proper season it bears a handsome white 
blossom, that would suffer no disparagement when placed in juxtaposi- 
tion with many of the choicer specimens of our gardens. 

The commote'^' is a root much like the common radish in size and shape, 
while a brownish skin envelopes a substance of milky whiteness, soft and 
nutritious, and of an agreeable taste. It is found most abundant in river 
bottoms, and requires a rich alluvial soil, well mixed with sedimentary 
deposites and vegetable matter. It generally penetrates to a depth of 
about four inches. Its leaves resemble those of the carrot in shape and 
color, and seldom grow to exceed two inches from the ground, while a stalk 
equally unpretending, bears a blueish blossom, not without some just 
claim to beauty. 

The pomrm hlanc and commote are equally good whether boiled or raw 
and are uniformly harmless, even with those unaccustomed to their use as 
an article of food. 

Making way with our scanty supply, a fire was struck and a kettle of 
tea prepared from wild cherry bark, which proved quite wholesome. 

This, as I ascertained, is a drink quite common among mountaineere 
and Indians in the spring season, and is used for purifying the blood and 
reducing it to suitable consistency for the temperature of iBummer. Ai 
the auccessful performer of the task assigned, I most cordially attest to 

*I am ignortmt of the msaoiDg or derivatioa of this name. 



14S PASTDtG AlfD FBASTirfa. 



its virtues, and recommerd it as the most innocent and effective medicine, 
if medicine it may be called, that can be employed for a result so neces- 
sary to general health. 

Early on the succeding day we resumed our journey. 

I now for the first time noticed a gradual change in the geological 
character of the country. The soil in many places appears to be sterile, 
and is generally of a red clayish nature, mixed with sand and fragmentary 
rock, and strongly impregnated with mineral salts, among which nitre 
forms a prouiinent component. Some spots, for a considerable extent, 
are entirely destitute of vegetation, and pr93ent a surface whitened by 
saline efflorescences, among which nitre and sulphate of soda foTW a 
predominant part. 

The character of the various moulds (v/ith the exception of the allu- 
vion in the vicinity of tlie rivers and creeks) is almost entirely primitive, 
like numerous strata of rocks upon which they repose. 

The grass, from the dry specimens of the previous summer's gro^'th, 
appeared to be of a longer and a coarser kind, and more sparse and iso- 
lated. The short buffalo-grass of the grand prairie had almost entirely 
disappeared, — in some places a blueish salt grass (herba salee) showed 
itself in plats uncropped by game. Ariemisie,* or rather greasewood of 
the mountaineers, became quite abundant, as did absinthe, or wild sage, 
together with severals specimens of the cacti family, which are the common 
pobt of the mountain prairies. 

The purifying effects of saline exhalations, with the odor of the grease- 
wood and absinthe of the prairies, plateaux and table lands, and the balsam 
and cedar of the adjacent mountains, afforded an atmosphere, even at this 
unfavorable season, as aromatic as the air of Eden and as wholesome els 
the deathless clime of Elysium. 

Eastward lay a braad expanse of prairie, bounded only by the hor- 
izon, while westward, and upon either hand, the high summits of the 
Black Hills, with their pines and snows, told our ingress to other and 
wilder .scenes. 

Our course, for some twenty or twenty-five miles, led through a 
broad valley, though occasionally winding among rugged hills of red- 
sandstone and primitive rock, with denuded sides and level summits, 
covered with shrubs and dwarfish pines. 

Towards night, on reaching a small stream, called Horse-shoe creek, 
we struck camp. One of the party having killed a buck deer, we 
were promptly on hand, and not at all backward in obeying the calls 
of appetite, sharpened by a continuous abstinence of three days. 

• Lt. Fremont, in his report relative to the proceedings of the expedition of 1842, 
'3, and '4, has designated some three varieties of shrubs by the general term Arte- 
misie, among which are greasewood and pi'airie sage. Altliongli the latter are of 
;he same family, the difference in their appearance is so marked, I have thought it 
proper to observe a nominal distinction, and for that reason they are called, in sub- 
sequent pages, by terms familiar to the mountaineers. 



PRAmiE D0G8. 149 

Deer-meat at this season of the year is very poor eating,— espec- 
ially that of the buck,— it being both lean and tough ; but, indiflferent 
as it was, we were too hungry to be nice. 

Previous to reaching camp I rode along the base of a small moun- 
tain, some distance to the right of the main party, in quest of game; 
there I caught glimpse of the first panther I had yet met with. 
Jumping from my horse, I thought to give him a passing shot, — but 
he, neither liking my looks nor the smell of gunpowder, made hasty) 
retreat to his mountain home. 

Passing leisurely on, my course led through a large village of 
prairie-dogs, which reminds me of having heretofore neglected a 
description of these singular animals. 

I am at a loss to imagine what it is in the habits or looks of the 
prairie-dog that entitles him to that appellation. 

In appearance and size he more approximates a large species of the 
•iciurus family, commonly called the fox-sqmrrel, than anything I can name. 
His tail, however, is but an inch and a half long, while his ears and legs 
are also short ; — as a whole, perhaps, he is a trifle larger and more corpu- 
lent than the fox-squirrel. His " bark " is precisely like the occasional 
chatterings of that animal, and his color is of a brownish red. 

His habits are quite inoflensive and lead him to procure his food from 
roots and grass. Clumsy in his motions, he seldom ventures far from 
home — fearful of the numerous enemies that beset him on all sides, both 
from birds and beasts of prey. 

These animals congregate together in large villages, and dig their bur- 
rows adjoining each other ; — the dirt thrown from them often forming cone- 
like elevations three or four feet high, in whose tops are the entrances. 
The latter are nearly of a perpendicular descent for two feet, and then 
slope av/ay to a great distance under ground. 

These villagers locate without regard to the vicinity of water, and it is 
gravely doubted, by many persons, whether they make the same use of that 
fluid as other animals ; — I have seen large settlements of them in high arid 
prairies, at a distance of fifteen or twenty miles from either stream or pool 
of water, and in regions subject to neither rain nor dews. 

They are keen of sight and scent, and seemed governed by some code of 
federative regulations for mutual safety. Their guards are regularly posHed 
at the suburbs of every village, whose duty it is to be continually on the 
alert and give tiiwjly warning of the approach of danger. 
. This the cautious sentinels discharge by standing erect at the slightest 
tainture of the ai r, or startling noise, or strange appearance ; and, having 
ascertained by carefit. observations its nature and cause, they sound the 
sharp yelp and chatter '>f alarm, in a hurried manner, — then, betaking 
themselves to tlie watch-towers that protect the entrances to their burrows, 
from the verge of the steep parapets they again renew their warning notes, 
when the whilom busy popu j 'C, bescattered at brief distances for amuse- 
ment or food, return with al ',':5Jble despatch to their ready holes and dis- 
appear from view. 

The faithful sentinels are las^ to retreat from tlieir posts, and not xoiSi^ 
auently maintain their ground at "^hQ hazard of individual safety. 
13* 



IM WILD acEifsa. 



On the disappearance of the cause of alarm, they are the first to coi» 
municate the pleasing intelligence, and soon the reassured community again 
betake themselves to their business and sports. 

The prairie-owl and rattlesnake maintain friendly relations with these 
inoffensive villagers, and not unfrequently the three heterogeneous associates 
occupy the same subterranean appartments ; — a strange companionship of 
birds, beasts, and reptiles ! 

The prairie dog is extremely tenacious of life, and can seldom be killed 
with a rifle, unless by a brain-shot ; and tlien, even, it is difficult to secure 
him, as his companions will immediately convey the carcase into their holei 
beyond reach. 

The flesh of these animals is tender and quite palatable, and their oil 
superior in fineness, and absence from all grosser ingredients, to that of 
any other known animals ; it is highly valued as a medicine in certain 
cases. 



CHAPTER Xlll. 

The Creek valley. — ^The Platte as a mountain stream. — Caiicm. — Romantic prospect. 
— Comical bear story. — Perilous encounter with a wounded bull. — Geological r©* 
marks. — Division of party. — Safety of spring travel.— La Bonte's creek. — Remarks 
by the way.— Service-berry.— Deer Creek. — General observations. — Moccasin mak< 
ing.— Box-elder.— Bear killed. — Excellence of its flesh. — Different kinds of bears in 
Oregon and the mountains. — The grizzly bear, lus nature and habits. 

HoRSE-SHOE creek is a stream of considerable size, that traces its way 
through a broad valley of rich alluvion, well timbered with cottonwood and 
box-elder, and affording all the usual varieties of mountain fruit. The 
grass of the preceding year's growth was quite rank and stout, giving 
evidence of a fertile soil. 

Resuming our course, we again bore towards the river with the design 
of crossing, and, after a few hours' ride came to its banks, through a broad 
opening between two ridges of hills that communicated with it from the 
high prairies and table lands upon the left. 

Here, however, fording was impracticable, the stream being too high and 
the current swift. 

The Platte of the mountains retains scarcely one characteristic of the 
river with which the reader has hitherto become so familiarized. It is now 
confined to a bod of rock and gravel, not exceeding two hundred yards in 
widtli, and is of unwonted clearness and transparency. Its banks are 
■teep, and the attrition of high waters discloses a deep vegetable mould in 
iheir vicinity, favorable to the growth of grain or other produce. 

A small bottom of rich sandy loam upon the opposite side lay at the boM 
if a high ridge of table lands, which presented its rugged sidee of nd> 



IKTERESTING VIETW. 15 1 

■andstone, almost vertical in their position, and ornamented with an occa- 
sional stunted pine, or cedar, or shrub of the buffalo-berry, (shepherdia ar- 
(rentea,) while at their base reposed, in huge masses, a profuse medley of 
fallen fragments, strown around in all the wild confusion of savage 
scenery. 

A few hundred yards to the left, the Platte forces its way through a 
barrier of table lands, forming one of tliose striking pecuharities incident 
to mountain streams, called a " canon."* 

Improving the opportunity afforded by a short stay, I ascended an emi- 
nence to enjoy a full vew of the grand spectacle. The mountain through 
which the river finds passage, at this place, is from five to eight hundred 
feet high, opposing perpendicular walls upon each side, that at many points 
overhang the narrow stream which sweeps with its foaming waters among 
the rocks below. 

This canon is nearly two miles in length. About midway of the dis- 
tance the whole stream is precipitated in an unbroken volume from a ledge 
of rocks, causing a cataract of some twenty or twenty-five feet descent. 

Standing upon the dizzy verge of this frightful chasm, and gazing 
adown its dark abyss, the aspect is one of terrific sublimity, and such an 
one as will cause the beholder to shrink back with instinctive dread ! 

These walls are principally of red-sandstone, and ferruginous rock, the 
precise character of which I was unable to determine. Upon the summit 
I noticed an abundance of silex, with some elegant specimens of crystal- 
line quartz, that, reflecting the sun's rays, shone like gems in the crown of 
a mountain-god ; a number of singular ligneous petrifactions also met my 
observation, principally consisting of pine and cedar. 

The surrounding country brought within the scope of vision an interest- 
ing and romantic scene. The lofty table land in front (with diversified 
surfaces of granitic rock and vegetable earth, affording a scanty nourish- 
ment for herbage and foothold for dwarfish cedars and pines) spread far 
away to the snow-clad mountains of the north, — while rearward at its base 
lay the broad valley through which passes the Oregon trail, shut in upon two 
sides by rugged hills ; and farther on arise the snowy sides of the Lara- 
mie chain, with their cloud-capped summits. To the left, peak towering 
above peak, in gradual succession, point to the ridge dividing the waters 
of the Atlantic and Pacific; and, to the right, the lessening eminences, 
vallons, and plateaux, guide the eye to where the boundless prairie revels 
in wild beauty and owns itself the realm of eternal Solitude ! 

How magnificent must be the scene when spring arrays the surrounding 
landscape in her own loveliness, and bedecks the wilderness with gaudy 
verdure ! 

Bearing again to the left, we continued our course by a winding 
buf&lo-path which soon brought us to a broad valley bordering upon the 
Platte. 

*The Spanish worfl " canon" implies a narrow, tunnel-like passage between higk 
and precipitous banks, formed by mountains or table lands. It is pronounced kawtok, 
and u a nuuihar tarm in the vocabulary of a mountaineer. 



152 OB.SEIIVATIOMS, 

Riding on, we soon cam« io a large sand creek; and. observing severa- 
bulls in the vicinity, we accepted the advantage ofiered by a small grova 
of cottonwoods and willow*? with a clear spring, and struck camp. 

During the day, the oddity of an old Franco-Canadian, who accompa- 
nied us, atforded me considerable amusement. Observing that he had car- 
ried his gu!i uncharged for several days past, a circumstance so singular 
in this country led me to enquire the cause. The old fellow, with the most 
laugha.ble sangfroid, answered as follows : 

" Me carry fusee load ? No, no ! monsieur. No good, carry fusee load 
eur le printems. Certes, much hear come out — him dangereux. Me live 
long en le montagnes ; oui, no remarque — duo, tree, great many year ! 
Sacre dem bear, — vat you call him en la American ?" 

" Grizzly bear, I suppose you mean," said I. 

"Oui, oui, monsieur; much graces, monsieur ! Oui, gizzle bear; me 
parler bon American, que no remarque gizzle bear! ontonner! Sacre dem 
gizzle bear, him come out une day, kill me de pres." 

" Well." continued I; "what has that to do with carrying your gun Yin- 
loaded ?" 

"Oui, oui; pardonner, monsieur. Me parler tel une bon Americiui ! 
Me reciter, sacre dem bear, — vat you call him, monsieur ? Oh, gizzle 
bear ! Sacre dem gizzle bear, me see him une day, en le printems ; big, 
grand felleu. Shoot him fusee ; make him much blood ; no kill him. 
Sacre dem bear, gizzle bear, him jump for me. ' Wa-r-r-h!' he say, (im- 
itating tiie bear.) Bon Dieu ! me no stay dare ; me bein fast run ; me 
abandonner la fusee ; me climb une leetil pine. Sacre dem bear — vat you 
call him ? Ah, oui, gizzle bear. Certes, monsieur, me parler bon Amer- 
ican, tel une naturel ! Sacre dem bear, him come to tree ; no climb him, 
—he too leetil. Look him ail round, den ; sacre dem bear, gizzle bear did. 
See fusee lie ; pick him up; cock him fusee, sacre dem bear, gizzle bear 
did. Take iiim aim at me ; snap him fusee tree time. Oh, mon Dieu ! 
mon Dieu ! Suppose him fusee been load ! Tonnerre de bateme ! Him 
shoot me ; him kill mo dead ! sacre dem bear, dem gizzle bear vould ! 
Certes, monsieur ; por le assure, sacre dem gizzle bear, him kill me ! en le 
verite, monsieur, him kill me dead !" 

" So," resumed I, " your reason for not carrying your gun loaded is, you 
are fearful that a bear might chance to get hold of it and shoot you !" 

" Certes, monsieur ; en le verite ! No carry gun load, sur le printems. 
Sacre dem bear get 'old of him, he shoot !" 

Towards night, two of our party, who had gone in pursuit of buffalo, 
returned kden with meat, which, though poor, was far preferable to the 
lean venison we had led upon for the last tv/enty-four hours. 

The male buffalo, at this season of the year, is generally fatter than 
the female, unless it be one of the few barren cows that sometimes 
are found in large bands: but, neither is worth boasting of. 

After our long fasting and indifferent tare for six entire days, it is 
not marvellous that we improved, with quickened zest, the present op- 
portunity of feasting. 



DIVISION OF PARTY. 158 

The day following, two parties started in quest of game, — one of which 
killed three bulla, at as many shots, within half an hour after leaving 
camp. 

The other party also killed two, but, in securing one of them, tiiey met 
with an exciting adventure. 

Both animals were extended upon the ground, one entirely and the other 
apparently dead — the hunters, having butchered one of thenj, proceeded to 
the otlier, and were in the act of raising him to the right position for the 
commencement of operation. Tiie old fellow, not relishing the like famil- 
iarity from new acquaintances, sprang to his feet, and made a plunge at 
the affrighted hunters, who only escaped the fatal charge by one ot those 
admirable teats of quick dodging so often in requisition among moun- 
taineers. 

The bull, passing between them, fell head foremost against the gi-ound, 
two or tiiree feet beyond the spot they had occupied scarcely a second 
previous; — then rising, with glaring eyes and distended nostrils, and 
mouth foaming with blood and rage, he pursued one of tiiem in hot chase, 
for a distance of several hundred yards. So close was the bull in a few 
leaps, that with a sweep of hie horns he gored the hunter's back, tearing 
away his pantaloons and coat, and prostrating him upon all-fours at the 
edge of a deep ravine, down v/hich he tumbled ;— the enraged beast fol- 
lowed, but the force of an unbroken headway landed hiia, with a tremen- 
dous shock, against the opposite bank, far beyond the hunter. Improve 
ing tlie advantage thus gained, the latter escaped through the windings of 
the ravine, and ascended the bank, without the reach of his pursuer. "^ 

Having procured his ritie, after nine more shots had riddled tiie lights 
of the bull's carcase, the business of butchering was again commenced and 
terminated without further mishap. 

Our stay at this camp was prolonged for three or four days. 

The geological character of the vicinity corresponds very much with 
that previously remarked, and to describe it in full would seem too much 
hke a repetition. I have, perhaps, said sufficient to give the reader a cor- 
rect idea of the prominent characteristics of these parts, and hence, for the 
sake of brevity, shall hereafter forbear further notes upon this subject, 
unless some uniform change or striking peculiarity should call for a 
passing observation. 

Prior to resuming our journey, a disagreement occurred between us rel- 
ative to the proposed route. 

Some were desirous of proceeding southward into the Plains of Lara- 
mie ; thence, bearing eastward to Laramie river, following its valley to Port 
Platte ; — others were anxious to continue up the Platte to Sweet Water, or 
further, and from thence proceed as circumstances or inclination might 
suggest. - 

This ditreronce finally resulted in a division of the party, — four m 
favor of the western, and three of the southern route,— myself being izi" 
eluded with the former. 



Selecting two pack-mulea for the conveyance of provisions and 



camp' 



154 MOCCASIN MAKEta. 

equipage, the day following we mounted our horses and were under way 
With the exception of myself, the present party consisted of old and ex 
perienced mountaineers, well acquainted with the country and the nature 
of Indians. Though, m regard to tJie latter, little danger was apprehen- 
ded at this season of the year, as the Sioux had not yet left their winter 
quarters, and they rarely traverse the vicinity of Sweet Water before the 
middle of May. Other tribes we might look upon as friendly. We, 
therefore, anticipated a safe and pleasant excursion. 

During the day our course led over a rough undulating prairie, bounded 
on the right mostly by the river, and on the left by the mountains. 

In the heads of valleys and ravines I noticed numerous withered stalks 
of the bread-root, (jpsoralea esculenta,) indicating its great abundance, and 
also an increased quantity of absinthe. 

At night we encamped at the forks of a small stream called La Bonte's 
creek. Near the confluence of its waters with the Platte are the remains 
of a log cabin, occcupied by a trading party several years since. 

The creek is tolerably well timbered, and the valley, through which il 
winds its way, aflbrds many beautiful bottoms of rich soil. The rock in 
the vicinity disclosed a furruginous character, especially the sandstone. 

Among the usual fruit-bearing shrubs and bushes, I here noticed the 
" service berry." 

This kind of fruit is very abundant in the mountainous parts of Oregon, 
where it attains a size but little inferior to the common plum, and is highly 
esteemed for its superior flavor. 

Leaving La Bonte's creek, we travelled by easy stages, for three suc- 
cessive days, and struck camp at the mouth of Deer creek. 

Our course led over several beautiful streams, most of them well tim- 
bered with Cottonwood and box-elder, and occasionally skirted by rich bot- 
toms. Previous to reaching this point we followed along the Platte valley, 
for a distance of some twenty or thirty miles, which presented several fine 
bottoms of rich sandy soil upon either bank, together with numerous 
groves of cottonwood. 

The face of the country is generally a succession of ridges and hol- 
lows, intersected by ravines and small streams of water. 

At Deer creek, and for some distance before reaching it, the mountaiu 
chain to our left approaches within four or five miles of tlie ri; er rising 
abruptly to a height of from eight to fifteen hundred feet, with frowning 
brows and pine-clad summits. 

Deer creek is one of the largest alfluents of the Platte, from the south, 
between Sweet Water and Laramie. At this place it is about eight yardi 
broad, with a smooth and tran^^parent current that sweeps over a bed of 
rock and gravel. Its banks are well timbered with large cottonwoods, and 
present rich bottoms of alluvial soil, very luxuriant in grass. 

Even this early in the season, the fresh grass of the vicinity aflbrds tempt- 
ing nourishment for our animals, and wishing to favor them as much ai 
possible, we have concluded to remain a short time. 

During the succeeding interval we were variously occupied in hunting 

rcot-diiroin:'-. an.! morcasin-making. The latter is a business in whidi 



r>o 



A FEAST OF BEAR MEAT. 166 



every mountaineer is necessarily a proficient, and rarely will he ventuit 
upon a long journey without the appurtenances of his profession. 

The process of shoe-muking with him is reduced to its most simple form. 
He merely takes two pieces of buflalo* (or any other suitable) skin, each 
being a little longer and wider than his foot, particularly towards the 
heel ; these he folds separately, and lays them togetiier parallel with the 
turned edges ; then, rounding and trimming tlie sides, to render them foot- 
shaped, with an awl and the sinew of buflalo or other animal, or small 
strips of thin deer-skin, (" whang") he sews the vamps from end to end, — 
then after cutting a tongue-like appendage in the upper side, midway from 
heel to toe, and stitching together Uie posterior parts, his task is done. 

Having obtained a quantity of sap from a grove of box-elders near 
camp, we found it a sweet and pleasant liquid, and not infeiior to that of 
maple. Sugar might be manufactured from it, with little trouble. ^ 

The leaves of this tree, as well as the general appearance of its wood 
greatly assimilate those of maple, and, independent of its bushy tops and 
stunted, winding growtl^i, it would be hard to tell the difference at a first 
glance. 

Grame was plenty on every side, both buffalo, deer, and elk, with some 
few bear. 

The second day after our arrival, one of the latter, attracted by the scent 
of fresh buflulo meat, ventured within gun-shot of camp. Listantly the 
balls of four rifles were buried in his carcase. Aroused by this feeling 
salute, he rushed towards us at the top of iiis speed, when our horses, 
affrighted at the strange appearance, broke snorting away over the neigh- 
boring hills, and we ourselves took to trees as fast as possible. 

In the midst of this general consternation a pistol bail, fired by one of 
the party, buried itself in the brains of our troablesome visitor and laid him 
prostrate. 

He was one of a species common to the mountains, called the red bear, 
and must have weighed four or five hundred pounds. The fat upon his 
back was full three inches tliick His skin when stretched would have 
compared in size to that of a buffalo, and the claws of his feet were full three 
incnes long. 

At this season of the year, when these animals first leave their dens, 
tney are much the fattest, — a singular circumstance, if we remember the 
Tact of their remahiing holed up for the entire winter, without eating ! 

After butchering tha greasy victim, and bringing our erratic horses back 
to camp, we regaled ourselves with an ample feast of bear's hver, heart, 
and kidneys, basted witli fat, — a dish that epicures might well covet. 
Then, filling a large camp-kettle with portions of the " fleece " and ribs, 
we allowed it to boil till the next morning, and thus prepared another deli- 
cious entertainment, such as is rarely met with in any country other tlian 
Jiis. 

Bear meat, to be tender and good, should be boiled at least ten hours. 
This is probably the most preferable mode of cooking it, though a roast ol 
[he article is far from bad. 

''^here are four several varieties of bear found In the Rocky Mountains 



116 lUTDRE AND HABITS OF THE GRIZZLY BEAM. 



and coQ&tries adjacent, viz. : The grizzly bear, the black, the red, and tht 
white. 

Of these, the grizzly bear stands pre-eminent in ferocity and strength. 
He will almost invariably flee at the sight or scent of a man, and seldom 
attacks any one unless wounded. When shot, he generally runs at full 
speed towards tlie sound, and woe to the unfortunate hunter who then 
comes in his way, unless fully prepared for a deadly encounter ! 

This animal reigns prince of the mountains, and every other beast within 
his wide realm acknowledges his supremacy. 

Wolves and panthers dare not approach him, or disturb aught savoring 
of his ownership. Even the carcase of his prey, covered with me earth 
and rock his cautious instinct teaches him to heap upon it for preservation, 
is unmolested, though hundreds of wolves and panthers might be starving 
around. 

Buffalo dread his presence far more than the dangerous approach of 
the hunter, and will sooner bring into requisition their swiftest powers of 
flight on such occasions. With great difficulty a horse can can be per- 
suaded to go within any near distance of one of them, even when led, and 
then he will quail and tremble in every joint, from extreme terror. 

Li short, the grizzly bear stalks forth at pleasure, in his majesty and 
strength, lord of the wild solitudes in which he dwells, and none dares op- 
pose him. 

Some writers assert that bears will not prey upon dead carcases, — this 
b contrary to fact. I have often known them take possession of the 
fcarcases of animals, even when nearly pvitrid, and remain until they were 
clevoured. 

Tiiey frequently kill buffalo, horses, and cattle to gratify their taste foi 
gidiimal food, and, in such cases, always drag their prey to some convenient 
(gpot, and perform the task of burial by heaping upon it piles of rock or 
C/arth, to a depth of several feet, for protection against the voracity of othei 
f.'Sasts of prey. It is not uncommon, even, that they drag the entire carcase 
c-f a full-grown bull a distance of several hundred yards, by the horns, foi 
this purpose, — so great is their strength and so accute their sagacity 



169 



CHAPTER XIV 

Desperate encounter with a grizzly bear, and extraordinary instance of vuflering;. — 
Close contest. — A comical incident. — Cross Platte. — Canon camp. — Sage trees- 
Mountain sheep, and all about them.— Independence Rock ; why so called, and 
description of it. — Devil's Gate. — Landscape scenery. 

The adventure recorded in the preceding chapter called forth tlie re- 
hearsal of many tlirilling stories of frightful encounter witli that proud 
monarch of the mountains, the grizzly bear. Two or three of tliese it may 
not be uninteresting to transcribe. 

Several years since, an old trapper by the name of Glass, with his corn 
panion, while on an excursion, ca ne upon a large grizzly bear. 

Bruin, having received the salute of two rifles, as usual, rushed towards 
his uncivil assailants, who broke from him witli all possible despatch. But 
Glass, stumbling, fell prostrate in his flight, and before he could recover his 
feet the infuriated beast was upon him. 

Now commenced a death-struggie. The pistols of the hunter were both 
discharged in quick succession, — the ball of one entering the breast of hia 
antagonist, and that of the other grazing his back. 

Smarting and maddened by the pain of additional wounds, the bleeding 
monster continued the conflict with the fury of desperation, — tearing from 
the limbs and body of the unfortunate man large pieces of trembling flesh, 
and lacerating him with the deep thrusts of his teeth and claws. 

Meanwhile the sufferer maintained, with his butcher-knife, an obstinate 
defence, though with fast waning effort and strength. Finally, enfeebled 
by the loss of blood, and exhausted from the extraordinary exertions of a 
desperate and unequal contest, he was unable to oppose further resis- 
tance, and quietly resigned himself to his fate. 

The bear, too, with the thick blood oozing from his numerous wounds, 
and faint from the many stabs among his veins and sinews, seemed 
equally in favor of a suspension of hostihties ; and, extending himself 
across the hunter's back, he remained motionless for two hours or 
more. 

^ But now another enemy commences an assault upon his vitals — that 
enemy is death. In vain is defensive effort. In vain are all liis sti-uggles. 
He falls by the hunter's side a lifeless corse. 

The setting sun had cast his lurid glare upon the ensanguined spot, as 
the comrade of the miserable Glass ventured near to ascertain the result 
of the fierce encounter. 

There lay the body of his deserted friend, stretched out, apparently life- 
less and half-torn to pieces ; and, by its side, lay the carcase of that ene- 
my, which had waged with it such murderous war, cold and stiffened in 
death! 

Now, doubly terrified at hia lontlin«gi, but still govtmed by ■ordid ni»- 



160 A CLOSE CONTEST. 



lives, he stripped the former of his arms and every other valuable, then no 
longer needed (as he supposed) by their owner, and, mounting hie horse, 
started immediately for the nearest trading post. 

On his arrival he recounted the particulars of the fatal occurrence, — 
carefully concealing, however, his own criminal conduct. The story was 
accredited, and the name of Glass found place upon the long catalogue of 
those who had fallen a prey to wild beasts and savage men. 

Six weeks elapsed and no one thaught of the subject of our sketch as 
among the living. The general surprise, therefore, may be readily imag- 
ined, on opening the fort-gates one morning, at finding before them the 
poor, emaciated form of a man, half-naked, and covered with wounds ami 
running sores, and so torn the fleshless bones of his legs and thighs were 
exposed to view in places ! and how this astonishment was heighten- 
ed on recognizing the person of Glass in the illy defined lineaments of his 
countenance — the very man so long regarded as the inhabitant of another 
world ! A veritable ghost suddenly appearing upon the spot could not have 
occasioned greater wonder I 

But, sensations of pity and commiseration quickly succeeded those of 
surprise, and the unhappy sufferer was conveyed within doors and received 
from the hands of friends that careful attention his situation so much re- 
quired. 

The story of his misfortunes was thrillingly interesting. When left by 
his companion for dead, he was in a state of unconsciousness, with scarce- 
ly the breath of hfe retained in his mangled body. But, the soft night- 
wind stanched his wounds, and a shght sleep partially revived him from 
his death-like stupor. 

With the morning, the slight sensations of hunger he began to ex- 
perience were appeased from the raw flesh of the carcase at his side; 
and, thus strengthened, by a slow and tedious efl^ort he was enabled to 
reach a near stream and quench his thirst. Still further revived, he 
again crawled to the carcase at the demands of appetite. 

In this manner iie continued for three days, when the putrescent 
corse compellecl him to abandon it. 

Then it was he commenced liis tedious return to the fort, (some 
seventy miles distant,) which he performed during an interval of forty 
successive days ! The whole of this long stretch he crawled upon his 
hands and knees, — subsisting, for the meanwhile, only upon insects, such 
as chance threw in his way, but passing most of the time without one 
morsel with which to appease the gnawings of limiger or renew his 
wasted strength. 

Yet, great as were his sufferings and intolerable as they may seem, 
he survived them all, and, by the kuid attention of friends, soon recov* 
ered. 

He still lives in the town of Taos, New Mexico, and frequently re- 
peats to wondering listeners the particulars of this terrific and painfui 
adventure 

One of our party, whose right hand was much disabled from the elBects 
of a wound, now told his story. 
For several years succeedmg his first arrival in the Rocky Mountains, 



A COMICAL INCIDENT. l61 



he had permitted no opportunity of killing- any one of the various species 
of bear, common to these regions, to pass unimproved. Never did he think 
of fearing them, and was always the last to retreat in case of a charge. 

When a bear appeared within any reasonable shooting distance of 
our hunter, it almost invariably fell a victim to his unerring aim. But, e'-e- 
long, this spirit of bold-daring proved the source of lasting regret to its 
possessor. 

On the occasion alluded to, having shot at one of these animals, contra 
ry to his usual good luck, he only wounded it. 

The bear in turn now became the assailant, but received the contents of 
two pistols before it had time to advance far. Our hunter at this crisis 
sprang to a neighboring pine, which he commenced climbing. His pursu- 
er, gaining the tree almost as soon, likewise began its ascent. 

Here occurred a struggle between them — the man to force his way up- 
wards, and the bear to prevent him. The former, drawing his butcher- 
knife, thrust it at the eyes and nose of his antagonist. Not fancying such 
pointed hints upon a delicate subject, Mr. Bruin caught hold of the hunter's 
hand, and, as an earnest of deep sensitiveness, crushed it between his teeth, 
— nor even then relinquished the gripe. Transferred to tlie left hand, the 
knife continued its work, till t!ie sickening beast commenced sliding down- 
ward — dragging the poor hunter also to the ground. Both struck at the 
same time ; but, at that instant, the knife of the latter pierced the heart of 
his antagonist, and laid him dead at his feet. 

The unfortunate man, however, lost two of his fingers in the afiray, and 
his hand was otherwise so much injured he has never since recovered its 
use. 

Another story related at the same time, though not possessing the deep 
and thrilling interest of the preceding ones, partakes a little of the iudircous, 
and will doubtless amuse the reader. 

The narrator a while since formed one of a trapping party, with which 
he proceeded to the Utah country. While there, on a certain occasion, 
having set his traps over night, he returned to examine them the next 
morning, in quest of beaver, and, to his surprise, one of them was missing. 
After cautiously examining tlie premises, under the impression that some 
lurking Indians had stolen his trap v/ith its contents, he noticed the tracks of 
bears, near by, which served at once to unravel the whilom mystery of its 
disappearance. 

He new began to muse upon his loss, as, without the missing trap his 
set woul I be rendered incomplete, and, under present circumstances, \he 
want of t.Ti thing was more than the worth of it. While thus ruminating, 
a slight nDise, among neighboring cherry-bushes and cottonwood, caught 
his ear, which sounded like some one beating with two sticks. 

This induced him to approach for the purpose of ascertaining the cause 
when an opening revealed to view Mr. Bruin seated upon a log and hold- 
ing to his face the missing trap, tightly clasped to his fore-paw. 

The bear appeared to be regaraing the strange instrument with close 

attention, as if to study into the principles of its construction ; — now gazing 

at it endwise, then bringing its side in close proximity to his eyes ; tlien 

turning it over to examine the opposite one ; — now, he would essay Ita 

14* 



<^2 HUNTING CAMP. 



strength, and lig'htly taps it upon the log. But this is a painful operation^- 
le relinquishes it, and resumes his former grotesque movements. 

Watching this curious performance, the trapper could scarcely retain 
ws gravity, or master his fondness for the ludicrous sufficiently for the in- 
tended shot. He did, however, and the comedy was suddenly transformed 
»o a tragedy, by leaving its actor struggung in death. 

A light fall of snow during the last of our stay at Deer creek, rendered 
the ground quite muddy and soft ; notwithstanding which we resumed our 
course early in the morning of the fourtli day. 

Continuing on, a ride of thirty miles brought us to the place where the 
Oregon trail crosses the Platte ; and, after fording the river, we encamped 
upon the opposite side. 

The stream, at this point, is about three hundred yards from bank to 
bank, and, at the time of our crossing it, swimming deep for a small por- 
tion of *he way. 

In ordinary stages, the water is but little over three feet deep, and the 
ford perfectly safe and practicable. The partial meltmg of the mountain 
Bnows had increased the size and velocity of its current, and rendered our 
passage slightly dangerous and difficult. The bed appeared to be rocky, 
and in some places rough, — requiring much caution in crossing waggons, 
to prevent tliem from overturning. 

On the third day following, we arrived at another remarkable caiion, after 
travelling a distance of thirty-five or forty miles. Here, finding large 
numbers of mountain sheep, we were induced to remain a short time. 

Our course for most of this distance was confined to the valley of the 
Platte, on account of the greater supply of wood found upon its banks. 

Towards noon of the first day, we passed a point, called the " Red 
Buttes," at which the river cuts its way through a lofty ridge of hills. 
This passage left a considerable bank upon both sides, shut in by abrupt - 
walls of red argillaceous sandstone, towering to the height of several 
hundred feet. 

The soil was generally a mixture of clay and sand, and, in some places, 
afibrded a reddish loam which appeared to bo very rich. 

A short ride from the '• Red Buttes " took us across a beautiful stream, 
with a broad bottom, well timbered with cotton wood. 

Large herds of buflalo were continually in sight upon the whole route. 

Several miles previous to reaching the canon, my notice was first attracted 
to the extraordinary size attained by the wild sage ; it having merged its shrub- 
ike appearance into that of trees varying from five to ten feet in height and 
from twenty to twenty-five inches in* circumference at the root. 

The magnificent dimensions of this herb are retained for a large extent 
of territory to the south and west of this vicinity. It is frequently made 
use of for fire-wood, and the prairies, in many places, are covered with 
Deautiful groves of it, — perfuming the atmospliere and revelling in peren 
nial verdure. 

The canon before referred to, is caused by the river passing through a 
of hiils, for a reach of nearly half a mile. 



MOUNTAIN SHEEP. Mft 

The current is here shut in by banks of perpendicular rock, four or fir* 
hundred feet high, which sometimes overhang it, and leave a narrow space 
of scarcely two hundred feet for its bed. These consist principally of 
white cretaceous sandstone, soft and friable, and frequently preseat to view 
the appearance of regular mason-work. 

During our stay we succeeded in killing five mountain sheep. Some of 
these were very large and quite fat. 

The flesh of this animal is equal in flavor to that of bufialo. It is gener- 
ally in good order, tender and sweet, and slightly assimilates our common 
mutton in taste. 

The habits and appearance of mountain sheep resemble those of no 
other animal. 

They select for their favorite habitation the rugged fastnesses of wild and 
inaccessible mountains. In the cold of winter, they descerd to some of 
the numerous valleys that so beautifully diversify the scenery of these re- 
gions, where the verdure of spring so rarely fades ; and, as the warm sea- 
son advances, they commence their return towards the lofty snow- 
peaks, keeping even progress v/ith spring and fresh flowers along the 
mountain-sides. 

Theirs is a life of unbroken spring — beauty and grandeur are their 
dwelling place, — and, 'mid the awe-inspiring sublimity of nature's works, 
is their home. They gambol upon the fearful verge of the steep cliflT, or 
climb its perpendicular sides, bidding defiance to all pursuers. There, 
secure from enemies, tliey rear their young, and te^h them to leap from 
crag to crag in mirthful gaiety, or traverse the dizzy heights in quest of the 
varied sweets of changeful spring. 

These animals are remarkably acute of sight, and quick of scent and 
hearing. The least noise or tainture of the air excites then* attention and 
places them instantly upon the alert. Mounting upon some high rock, 
they will stand for hours in the same posture,^ gazing in the direction of 
the fancied danger. If fully satisfied of its reality, they abandon their 
position for another and a safer one, high among more rugged peaks, and 
often beyond the possibility of offensive approach. Their hue is so akin 
to that of the rocks which grace their range, they are with difficulty 
identified when standing motionless, and the hunter is constantly liable to 
mistake the one for the other. 

In size the mountain sheep is larger than the domestic animal of that 
name, and its general appearance is in every respect dissimilar— excepting 
the head and horns. The latter appendage, however, alike belongs to the 
male and female. The horns of the female are about six inches long, 
small, pointed, and somewhat flat, — but those of the male grow to an enor- 
mous size. I have frequently killed them having horns that measured two 
feet and a lialf or three feet in length, and fi-om eighteen to nineteen inches 
in circumference at the base. 

These ponderous members are of great service to their owner in descend- 
vng the abrupt precipices, which his habits so often render necessary. In 
leaping from an elevation he uniformly strikes upon the curve of his horns, 
& id thus saves himself from the shock of a sudden and violent contiission. 

The color of these animals varies from a yellowish white, to a darJt 



IW DEVIL'S GATE. 

brown, or even black. A strip of snowy whiteness extends from ham U 
ham, including the tail, which is short and tipped with black. 

Instead of wool, they are covered with hair, which is shed annually 
Their cry is much hke that of domestic sheep, and the same natural odor 
is common to both. 

It is extremely difficult to capture any of them alive, even while young, 
— and it is next to impossible to make them live and thrive in any other 
chmate than their own. Hence, the mountain sheep has never yet foun 
a place in our most extensive zoological collections. 

Remaining three days at this place, we were again en route, and, bear- 
ing to the right, passed over a ridge of rough, rocky summits, and struck 
the valley of the Sweet Water. Continuing up the latter, a short ride 
brought us to the vicinity of a noted landmark of the country, known aa 
Independence Rock, where we encamped. 

The soil of the riyer bottoms is good, but the adjoining prairies are 
sandy and somewhat sterile. 

The distance from this to the caiion is not far from twenty-three miles. 

Independence Rock is a solid and isolated mass of naked granite, situated 
about three hundred yards from the right bank of the Sweet Water. It 
covers an area of four or five acres, and rises to a height of nearly three hun- 
dred feet The general shape is oval, with the exception of a slight depres- 
sion in its summit where a scanty soil supports a few shrubs and a 
solitary dwarf-pine. 

It derives its namet"rom a party of Americans on their way to Oregon, 
under the lead of one Tharp, wlio celebrated the fourth of July at this 
place, — they being the first company of whites that ever made the jour- 
ney from the States, via South Pass. 

The surface is covered with the names of travellers, traders, trap- 
pers, and emigrants, engraven upon it in ahnost every practicable part, for 
the distance of many feet above its base, — but most prominent among them 
all is the word " Independence," inscribed by the patriotic band who first 
christened this lonely monument of nature in honor of Liberty's birthday. 

I went to the rock for the purpose of recording my name with the 
swollen catalogue of others traced upon its sides ; but, having glanced over 
the strange medley, I became disgusted, and, turning away, resolved, "If 
there remains no other mode of immortalizing myself I will be content to 
descend to the grave ' unhonored aiid unsung.^ " 

The day following, a heavy fall of snow and sleet forced us to remain 
In camp, and the consequent muddiness of the route prolonged our stay 
■till furthei-. 

The vicinity afforded an abundance of game and a sufficiency of dry fuel 
it would, therefore, have been folly in us to care for wind or weather 
detracting as did either so little from our comfort. 

During this interval I rode into the prairie a short distance, in quest of 
game, and struck the river a few miles above crimp, at a place where the 
•tream cuts its way tlirough a high ridge of hills, forming another canos 



RETURN ROUTE. 16d 



of three or four hundred yards in length and about forty broad, called th€ 
Devil's Gate, as I afterwards ascertained. 

Its walls arose perpendicularly to a height of between four and five him- 
dred feet, and consisted of trap rock, sandstone, and granite. 

Dismounting, I ascended to the summit, where a grand and picturesque 
scenery burst upon the view. 

Above, the broad valley of the Sweet Water stretched far away to the 
westward, bounded on either side by frowning mountains, that, towering 
to the height of fifteen hundred or two thousand feet, present their snowy 
summits in proud defiance of wind or storm, and laugh at the impotency 
of a summer's sun ; — on the soutli, shaking their piny tops in scornful 
derision ; and, on the north, with denuded crests of broken granite, chal- 
lenging the lightnings of heaven and wooing its loudest thunders ; — while 
further along, the clouds played in humble sportiveness around the base of 
the great chain dividing the waters of two oceans, nor dared ascend its 
dizzy heights to range amid eternal snow. 

Below, in silent grandeur, arose to view the grantic mass that responds 
to the day-dawn of a nation's existence, surmounted by its lone pine, and 
bearing upon its broad register the sculptured names of the audacious 
disturbers of its solitude ; and further yet, the parti-colored peaks of the 
Black Hills, now white with fresh-fallen snow, now darkened with clus- 
tering pines, seemed musing in modest retirement ; while far around, in 
every spot accessible to discriminating vision, dense herds of grazing buf- 
falo covered the prairie with their pall-like mantle of countless numbers. 

It was indeed a magnificent prospect, and needed only the garnishing 
hand of spring to render it at as enchanting in loveliness as it was impres- 
sive in wild sublimity. 



CHAPTER XV. 



Return route. — Oregon trail from Independence Rock through the South Pass.— • 
Cross the Sweet Water and Platte.— Mountain Fowl.— Journey up Medicine 
Bow.— Dangerous country.— A fight with the Sioux.— The " Carcague."— A. sur- 
prise.— Visit to the Crow village.— Number and character of the Crow nation — 
Selling a prisoner for tobacco.— Description of Laramie Plains. 

Previously to leavi^ig this place, considerable discussion arose relative 
to our tuture course. 

The proposition was to continue up the Sweet Water valley to the 
dividing ridge at the head oi Green river, and return by the same roi^e ;— 
versus the suggestion to cross the Sweet Water and proceed up the Platte 
to tlie confluence of a large tributary from the south ; thence, keeping by 
the valley of the latter stream os far as the Medicine Bow Mountains, w 
turn to the Fort by the way of Laramie river. 



VICINl'lT OF THE MEDICINE BOW. 



The fast melting of the snow, and anticipated difficulties, not to §KJ 
ngers, consequent upon high water in tlie passage of creeks and riverii 
3uenccd us to adopt the latter as tlie most advisable course. 
Such was the final decision, and, the men witli me beiag familiarly 
quainted with every nook and corner of the adjaceiit country, I improved 
J opportunity to elicit from them all possible information relative to the 
egon route from this onward ; and, never iiaving personally travelled 
in Independence Rock to the head of Green river, it may not be out of 
Lce to lay before tlie reader a succinct statement of some of the items 
19 gleaned. 

The distance from tliis point to tlie famous South Pass is but little over 
e hundred miles. The trail follows the Sweet Water to its source, 
sping the river valley for most of the distance. This valley consists of 
undulating prairie, (at intervals rough,) varying in width from the '' 

rrow limits of a few yards to tlie more ample dimensions of four or five 
les. 

Sometimes, the adjoining hills close in upon the river banks and force 
5 trail among their rugged windings. In one place the road leads over a 
jli stretch of table land for nearly a day's travel, when it again descends 
the valley. 

The stream, in place.>^, is tolerably well timbered with cottonwood, oak, . 

i aspen, and rolls over a rocky bed, with a clear and swift current. j 

The distance through the pass is about fitlecn miles, and tlie ascent 
d descent arc so gradual the traveller would scarcely notice tlie transi- 
n from the head of the Sweet Water to that of the Colorado. The hills 
this point are low, and the face of tlie country roUing — but not rough, 
brding at all times a most excellent waggon road. 

i 
On the morning of the fourth day, we accordingly retraced our course, • 

d, having traversed a rugged and hilly country for some ten or twelve - 

les, we camped in a small open prairie at the mouth of the Sweet '^ 

at r. I 

During our ride we noticed several large bands of wild sheep, at inter- ^ 

Is, gazing upon us from huge masses of granite that towered with 8 

)lated summits to a frequent altitude of sixty or one hundred feet. | 

The next morning, we crossed tlie Sweet Water a little above its 1 

juth. I 

The ford was quite feasible, the stream being some ten yards wide and *^ 

ree or four feet deep, with a bed of sand and pebbles. 
From this point, travelling up th^e Platte for about ten miles or more 
e arrived opposite the creek previously alluded to, and, crossing at a shoal 
ace a short distance above, camped in a grove of cottonwood and 
illows, at ihe delta formed by tiie confiuence of the two streams. 
There are several bottoms of very rich soil in this vicinity ; but back 
om the river the country is rough and hilly. 

Westward the Sweet Water mountains, distant some ten miles, showed 
leir craggy peaks, and to tlie north and east the piny crests of the Black 
ills burst upon the sight ; while southward, a succession of high, rolling 
■airies opened to view a variety of romantic and beautiful scenery. 






44 






I 

MM 

tm 




A Crow Warrior. — Page 



A riGHT WITH THE SIOUX. 169 

We remained at this place the two following days, for the purpose of 
hunting. Game of all kinds appeared in great abundance, particularly 
elk. At several points among the willows near tlie river were noticed 
fresh signs of beaver, and among the hills the recent marks of bear in 
digging for roots. 

A large bird called the mountain fowl, quite common to these parts, was 
the occasion of some httle curiosity, being the first of its species I ev63r 
saw. This bird is rather larger than our domestic hen, and of a grayish 
brown color. Little accustomed to the presence of man, it easily falls a 
prey to the hunter. Its flesh is tender and most excellent in flavor. 

Having obtained a fresh supply of meat, we resumed our course. 

Continuing up the right bank of the creek (which I have named Medi 
cine Bow, for lack of a better term) and travelling by easy stages four 
successive days, we arrived at its head, — a distance of more than fifty 
miles above its junction with the Platte. 

Many beautiful bottoms skirted the banks of this stream, which were 
well timbered with cottonwood, aspen, birch, willow, box-elder, and some 
few pines. The soil is generally of a reddish loam, and the luxuriant size of 
the dead grass, together v/ith the rank verdure of the present season, gave 
evidence of its richness and fecundity. 

I was pleased to observe not a few wild flowers, of rare beauty, in full 
bloom, lending their fragrance to the breath of spring, and blushing at the 
admiration challenged by their loveliness. 

On the right lay a broad expanse of undulating prairie, covered with 
stately clusters of absinthe, and disclosing every variety of soil, from the 
rude sterility of an African desert to the rich productiveness of a garden ; — 
on the left, the mountains, increasing in altitude, jutted their craggy sides 
in close proximity to the creek — now disclosing immense piles of granite, 
with red argillaceous, grayish micaceous, dark ferruginous, and white 
calcareous sandstone, limestone, and coarse-grained conglomerates, naked 
and variegated with almost every diversity of color,-— and now, surmounted 
by stunted pines and cedars, or towering balsam, hemlock and pinion ; 
and in front, the lofty peaks of Medicine Bow, rearing their snowy heads 
beyond the clouds, opposed an eternal barrier to further prospect. 

As we passed along, I noticed three or four small branches that emptied 
into the creek from the opposite side, and, just before reaching our present 
encampment, we crossed three others from the right, all of them well tim- 
bered and graced by rich valleys and prairillons. 

. This section of country, being the great war-ground between the Sioux 
and Chyennes on the one side, and the Snakes and Crows on the other, is 
considered dangerous, particularly from May till November of each year. 
During that time it is extremely unsafe for a white man to venture within 
its confines, unless protected by a strong force. 

A small creek at our right, became the scene of a bloody tragedy two 
months subsequent to our visit. 

Three trappers, with whom I became acquainted upon my return to the 

Fort, tempted by the abundance of fur-bearing game common to the 

vicinity, came here for the purpose of making a summer hunt. WluJe 

succesafuUy pursuing their occupation, unsuspicious of immediate danger 

16 



170 LAilAMlE PASS. 



they were suddenly surrounded, early one morning, by a war-party of Sioux, 
whose first salute was a discharge of fire-arms, accompanied by a shower 
of arrows and the sharp thunder of deafening yells. 

Two of them fell dead. The remaining one retreated to a hollow tree, 
close at hand, into which he crawled ; and, though severely wounded, 
maintained from it an obstinate resistance till near sundown, — keeping at 
bay the whole host of savage assailants, and thinning their numbers, one 
oy one, with the deadly discharge of his unerring rifle. 

Six warriors lay stiflbned in death, and as many more had felt the burn- 
ing smart of wounds, — one of the latter having had his tongue shot out, close 
to its roots ! — and still he continued the unequal contest. 

His triumph would have been complete had not the remorseless crew, as 
a last resort, set fire to the woods and burned him from the shell-like for- 
tress from which they could not drive him. 

He fell with his companions, mingling his own blood with that of their 
murderers ; and the scalps of the three were treasured among the horrid 
trophies of savage victory. 

Of these unfortunate men, one, named Wheeler, was a Pennsylvanian ; 
another, named Cross Eagle, was a Swede; and the third, name not re- 
membered, was a native of France. They were men of noble hearts and 
much esteemed by all who knew them. 

In the neighborhood I noticed many indications of coal, of which there 
appeared to be extensive beds, as well as iron and mineral salts. 

Continuing on, a short ride brought us to the pass-trail, following which, 
after travelling a few miles by a road intercepted by frequent ravines be- 
tween a defile of mountains, we were finally ushered into the broad prairie, 
opening eastward, known as the Plains of Laramie. 

The mountains upon both sides were heavily coated with snow, which 
intruded to the trail, while groves of pine and aspen reheved the eye in 
Bcanning their rough escarpments. 

The prevailing rock appeared to be a compact red granite, with occasional 
strata of sandstone. 

While winding among the ravines and aspen groves, we obtained an in 
distinct view of a strange-looking, dark-colored animal, that my companions 
pronounced a " carcague.^^ 

Of the character, or even the existence of such a creature, I cannot 
speak from positive knowledge — ^this, if one, not being sufficiently near for 
a scrutinizing observation, and no other of its kind ever came in my way ; 
but, in answer to inquiries, I am enabled to give the following description, — 
for the correctness of which, however, I will not vouch, though, for my own 
part, inclined to accredit it. - 

The " carcague " is a native of the Rocky Mountains, and of a family 
and species found in no other part of the world as yet known. He seems 
a distinct genus, partaking the mixed nature of the wolf and bear, but is far 
more ferocious than either. 

His color is a jet black, hair long and coarse, and body trim and slender. 
His head and neck are like those of a wolf, but his tail and feet assimilat* 
he bear, and his bodv presents the marked qualities and appearance of both* 



A 8URPRI81L in 



In iize, he is considerably larger than the common cur-dog, and is mors 
agile in his movements. Unlike the bear, he will not ran from the presence 
or scent of man, and regards the " lord of creation " with neither fear nor 
favor. Hence he is looked upon as a creature much to be dreaded by all 
who are anywise conversant with his character and existence. 

The representatives of his family are seldom met witli, which alTords tlie 
principal reason why so little, comparatively, is known of his nature and 
habits. 

If the information contained in the above description is correct, (and that 
it is so, I have not the least doubt,) the "carcague" presents, either the ex- 
traordinary phenomenon of the creation of a new race of wild beasts, or, 
the living relics of an order now almost extinct; and, whether he be the one 
or tiie other, his existence is vested with deep interest to all lovers of the 
marvellous. 

All old trapper related the following story, soon after the incident above 
nrti^.ed, which will serve to give some idea of this ferocious animal : 

A p^ -ty of hunters, at thair night camp, were seated around a large fire, 
at wlio-^ i side were fixed several pieces of meat, en appolas, for the purpose 
of roa? ing. All were waiting patiently the kind office of the fire in the 
preparation of their longed-for suppers, when, attracted by the fumes of 
the cooking viands, a " carcague " came bounding from the mountain-side, 
directly over their heads, and made for the roasts, with which he disappeared 
before even a shot could be fired in their defence. 

Thus bold and daring is their nature, and so little is their regard for the 
presence of man. 

Bearing southward, in the course of a few miles wo came to a large 
creek, and camped early in the afternoon, near the base of a lofly mountain 
of the Medicine Bow range. 

In this vicinty were the relics of three Indians forts. On the banks of 
the stream was an abundance of timber of various kinds ; the bottoms 
were broad and of a rich soil, shut in by abrupt accHvities that lead to the 
arid plains through which the creek traces its way. 

Game appeared in great abundance in all directions, and seemed more 
than usually tame and accessible. 

Soon after camping, three of us went in quest of a fresh supply of eat- 
ables, and, towards night, returned with the choice portions of a bufialo 
and a blacik-tailed dear. 

The valley also afforded large quantities of wild onions, which wert 
•liooting forth with singular luxuriance. 

We passed tht night in quiet slumber, neither of us dreaming of the 
possible existence of human beings, other than ourselves, within a less 
distance than one hundred miles. 

In the morning, however, we were awakened by the wild yell of savages, 
and, on looking to ascertain the cause, saw a dense throng of painted 
monsters surrounding us, who were whooping, screeching, and dancing in 
a most terrific and fantastic manner. Seizing our guns, we levelled at tha 
foremost of them, who immediately sheathed their bows and made the siga 
•f friendship and their oation. 



172 A TEMPERANCE NATION. 



They were Crows, and, having discovered us the afternoon before, noT» 
came tor a morning call. 

The chief of the band bore the name of Little Robber, and was a large> 
portly, well-made man, as, in fact, were all his party. He was recognized 
by one of us as an old acquaintance, and was greeted as such, when several 
of his people came forward to shake hands, and we were soon on most 
friendly terms. 

They informed us, by means of signs, that they were advancing against 
the Sioux, and their village was encamped upon a neighboring creek, a 
little to the right, — after which they insisted upon our accompanying them 
to it. 

Not waiting for further ceremony, they drove up our horses and com 
menced saddling them. Supposing it useless to resist, we yielded compli 
ance to their wishes, and, in about an hour's ride, came to the village 
Here we were inducted to the chief's lodge, where commenced a series oi 
feastings peculiar to Indians on occasions hke this. 

The Crows are a nation living upon the waters of the Yellow-st iMe, al 
a distance of about four hundred miles west-northwest of Fort I 'latte. 
Their number embraces not far from four hundred and fifty or Ave hundred 
lodges, being something near four thousand men, women, and children. 

Ten or twelve years since they were enemies to the whites, but, more 
recently, have been pn friendly terms. 

They never kill or injure the white man who comes within their power, 
and rarely take from him anything without returning for it an equivalent. 
For instance, — they may take his robe, horse, or gun ; biir, in that case, 
they will return another robe, horse, or gun ; acting upoii the principle 
that " exchange is no robbery," even though it be compulsory. 

Less contaminated by intercourse with the whites than most mountain 
tribes, they will tolerate the importation of liquor among them upon no con- 
sideration, not even by traders for their own individual use. Whenever it 
is ascertained that any one in their vicinity, whether white man or Indian, 
is in possession of that article, they take it from him, if necessary, by force, 
and pour it upon the ground. 

Their bitter hatred of this vile stuff, is said to have resulted in the fol- 
lowing strange manner : 

The whites, as usual, came first among them bringing alcohol; and, at a 
feast given to the chiefs, soon after, several of the latter became intoxicated 
from too lavish potations of the new and curious drink. 

In common with inebriates of civilized society, they acted very foolishly, 
and, on appearing before their people, the drunken chiefs became the suo- 
ject of ridicule. This so shamed them, that, upon the return of sobriety, 
they could not be persuaded to taste another drop, and thereafter made use 
of their iinitcd influence to prevent its introduction and sale. 

Ever since the above occurrence, alcohol has received, from tlie Crows, 
the appellation of " FooVs Water" a term at once attesting their nice 
moral discernment and good sense. 

Several years since, a missionary, on visiting them, began throuffh 
kn interpreter to rehearse the stoiy how sin first came into the world| 
tod how al men had become bad — ^whether white or rod* 




THE CROW CHIEF MAKING A SPEECH. - PaiT* HS- 



CROW WAR PARTY. I'?6 



Thus premised, he proceeded to explain the great truths of Chrhf 
tianity, and averred that he had come to do them good, and to tell ihem 
how to be happy; asserting that, unless they listened to him and wor- 
shipped the Good Spirit in the manner he pointed out, they could never, 
at death, reach that happy country into which good people alone find 
admittance. 

One of the chiefs upon this arose and made the following reply: 

" My white brother is a stranger to us. He talks bad of us, and he talki 
bad of his own people. 

" He does this because he is ignorant. He thinks my people, like his, 
are wicked. Thus far he is wrong ! 

" Who were tliey that killed the very good man of whom he tells us ? 
None of them were red men ! 

" The red man will die for good men, who are his friends ; — he will not 
kill them ! 

" Let my pale-face brother talk to the white man — his own people — they 
are very bad. He says, he would do us good ! He does no good to chide 
us and say we are very bad. 

" True we are bad ; and were we bad as the pale-faces it would become 
us to listen to him ! 

" Would my brother do us good ? Then, let him tell us how to make 
powder and we will believe in the sincerity of his professions ; — but let him 
not belie us by saying we are bad like the pale-faces !" 

These Indians rarely kill the women and children of an enemy when in 
their power, and, in this particular, they show themselves unhke most of 
the wild tribes found on the American continent. 

They are a brave and noble people, prosecuting their endless hostihties 
against the Sioux and Blackfeet, (the only nations with whom they are at 
variance,) not so much to gratify an innate love for war, as from a just 
hatred of the meanness of those they war against 

In the summer of 1842, a war-party of some two hundred Crows inva^ 
ded the Sioux country by way of Laramie pass, and penetrated as far as 
Fort Platte, and beyond, in pursuit of their enemy. 

A few miles above the Fort, having met with a' lone French engage, who 
was rather green in all that pertains to Indians as well as some other 
tilings, they began by signs to enquire of him the whereabouts of the La- 
cotas, (the sign for them being a transverse pass of the right front-finger 
across tlie throat.) 

The poor Frenchman, mistaking this for the avowed intention of cutting 
his throat, commenced bellowing a la calf, accompanying the music by an 
industrious appliance of crosses in double-quick time — not forgetting to 
make use of sundry most earnest invocations of the blessed Virgin to gim- 
cionsly vouchsafe to him deliverance from impending danger. 

The Indians, perceiving his strange conduct to be the result of fear, fch 
disposed to have a little fun at his expense; so, mounting him upon ahorse, 
they bound his hands and feet and guarded him to a post of the Ame"' 
can Fur Company as a prisoner. 



170 PLAINS OF LARAMIB. 



The Fort gates being closed against them, they demanded admitttDM 
oa the plea of wishing to trade. 

" What would you buy ?" asked the commandant 

"Tobacco." 

" What have you brought to pay for it ?" 

" A white man." 

'* A white man ?" exclaimed the former ; ** at what price?" 

" Oh, he is not worth much. A plug of tobacco in his full value !" con- 
tinued tiie warriors. 

The commandant now began to understand the joke ; and, on recognizing 
the prisoner as an employee of the other Fort, he told them they might 
possibly find a market for him at the next post, but for his own part he was 
not disposed to purchase. 

The Indians then paraded around the Fort, and, after saluting its in- 
mates with three deafening whoops, proceeded at full charge towards Fort 
Platte. 

When arrived, having prostrated two scaffolds of dead Sioux by the 
way, they informed the person in charge, that they had brought back one 
of his men, and claimed from him a plug of tobacco for their trouble. 
The circumstances attending this request were of so comical a nature, the 
commandant felt disposed to humor the joke, and gave the tobacco, upon 
which they immediately left in pursuit of their enemies. 

Having remained prisoners to the hospitality of these Indians for two 
days and a half, we were at length permitted again to resume our journey. 

Following the creek downwards for the two days next succeeding, and 
then bearing to the left, after a ride of some twelve miles, we struck Lara- 
mie river at a point which presented broad bottoms upon each side v\ ith an 
abundance of timber ; here we remained encamped till the subsequent day. 

In journeying thus far, we passed over a sufficient extent of this broad 
expanse to give a general description of it, from personal observation coup- 
led with information derived from others more experienced. 

The Plains of Laramie are bounded north and east by the Black Hills, 
south by a ridge of naked elevations, (composed of soft, arenaceous rock 
and terrene Umestone, embedded m marl and white clay, sterile and almost 
entirely destitute of vegetation,) and west by the Medicine Bow Moun- 
tains. 

This section includes an area one hundred and sixty miles long by 
seventy broad. 

The northern portion of it is a high plateau, almost destitute of springs 
or streams of water, having a mixed soil of clay and sand, producing the 
grass and other peculiarities incident to the grand prairies. Westerly, It 
is composed of red sand and gravel, tolerably fertile and abundant in rocl^ 
fragments. The southern portion is watered by a number of streams that 
rise in the Medicine Bow Mountains and flow eastward ; some of them 
pouring their Mraters into Laramie river, and others losing themselves in 
the sand. 

Towajtla the southwestern extremity, at the base of a lofty, isolated 
wonntaini it a salt lake of considerable dimensioDB. Several c^er Iake« 



INCIDENTA.L REMARKS. HI 



m tiao fonnd adjacent to the Medicine Bow Mountains, whose watcn 
•re Btrongly impregnated with mineral salts. 

In numerous places the surface, for small distances, is entirely naked 
and whitened with saline efflorescences, that vie in their appearance with 
the unspotted purity of fresh-fallen snow. 

The Laramie river * traces its way through the whole extent, — rising in 
the soutliern extremity of the Medicine*Bow Mountains and in the desolate 
highlands that form the dividing ridge between its own and the waters of 
C^che a la Poudre, and, after flowing a distance of some three hundred 
miles, discharges itself into the Platte. 

Upon this river and its branches are many beautiful bottoms of rich al- 
luvial soil, well adapted to cultivation, varying from five to ten miles it 
length, and from two to five in breadth. These bottoms are to some ex 
tent well supplied with timber, consisting of ash, elm, cottonwood, box- 
elder, and willow, while the adjacent mountains and hills aflTord pine, cedar, 
and balsam. 

Of the various kinds of wild fruits and berries are found cherries, plums, 
currants, gooseberries, service*berries, buflTalo-berries, and some few 
grapes ; among its vegetables and roots are the bread-root, pomme blanc, 
onions, and commote. 

Its prevailing rock is sandstone, (gray micaceous, brown argillaceous, 
red granitic, and ferruginous,) limestone, (siliceous, testaceous, fossiUfer- 
ous, and terrene,) and red granite, with various conglomerates and heavy 
boulders of fragmentary and transition rock. 

Among the mineral productions incident to this region are salt, sulphur, 
Boda, magnesia, nitre, alum, coal, iron, copper, and gold, (the latter only in 
small quantities.) Among its game is embraced nearly every variety 
found in countries adjacent to the mountains. 

The high prairies sldrting the tributaries of the Laramie, though favored 
with many valleys of fertile soil, are fit only for grazing purposes, on ac- 
count of their general aridity and scarcity of water ; a fault, by the way, 
too common witli a large proportion of that vast extent of territory from 
the neighborhood of our western frontiers almost to the very shores of the 
Pacific. 

•Thin river received its present name from one Joseph Laramie, a French ini{»^ 
«r, who waa killed near its mouth, several years since, by the Indians. 



178 



CHAPTER XVI. 

SMIeVhole— Novel bitters.— Chugwater.— Gold.— Curiosity.— AflSiirs at th© Fort. 
— Amusements. — Gambling among squaws, and games played. — Squaw diceses, 
and riding fashion. — Items of interest to the curious, proving the intercourse of 
the ancient Romans with the people of this continent 

On resuming our course, we soon after struck into a lodge-trail leading 
to the Platte by way of Sibille's creek ; — following this we travelled over 
an undulating and sandy prairie for about ten miles, and came to a chain 
of rugged mountains, bearing from north to south, through which we pas- 
sed, by a tedious and circuitous route, for a considerable distance, winding 
among rocks and narrow defiles of naked hills, till we were finally ushered 
into a beautiful opening facing the east, known as Sibille's-hole. 

Tills valley is situated at the confluence of two small streams, heading 
in the adjoining mountains, that unite to form Sibille's creek. 

It is shut in upon three sides by lofty ridges, many hundred feet high, 
consisting of immense piles of earthy limestone and marl, whose rough, 
naked sides, ornamented with occasional dwarf-pines, cedars, or fruit-bear- 
ing shrubs, present a wild and romantic scenery. 

The valley is four or five miles in length and of variable width, with a 
strong, black soil, afTording a goodly supply of timber. 

The season was further advanced in this than in any other place we had 
yet visited. Several specimens of wild flowers were in full bloom, beladiiig 
the soft air with their sweetest odors. The grass too had attained a height 
of some three inches, and furnished a most sumptuous entertainment for our 
jaded animals, which they were nowise backward to accept. 

Wishing to afford them an opportunity to recruit their strength, we re 
mained encamped the two following days. 

During tlie interval we were successful in killing two very fat bulls, and 
were thus enabled to renew the series of feasting which had graced the 
greater part of our journey. 

I here became for the first time acquainted with a kind of beverage ver} 
common among mountaineers. The article alluded to may with much pro- 
priety be termed " bitters," as the reader will readily acknowledge on learn- 
ing tiie nature of its principal ingredient. 

It is prepared by the following simple process, viz : with one pint of water 
mix one-fourth gill of buflalo-gall, and you will then have oefore you a 
wholesome and exhilarating driiSf. 

To a stomach unaccustomed to its use it may at first create a slightly 
wiaome leiiMtioii, like the inceptive efiecta of an emetio ; and, to on« 



CHUGWATER. 179 



strongly bilious, it might cause vomiting ; — but, on the second or third trial, 
the stomach attains a taste for it, and receives it with no inconsiderable 
relish. 

Upon the whole system its effects are beneficial. As a stimulent, ii 
braces the nerves without producing a corresponding relaxation on the ces- 
sation of its influence ; it also tends to restore an impared appetite and in- 
vigorate the digestive powers. 

As a sanative, it tends to make sound an irritated and ulcerated stomach, 
reclaiming it to a healthful and lively tone, and thus striking an effective 
blow at that most prolific source of so large a majority of the diseases 
common to civilzed life. 

From what I have seen of its results, I consider it one of the most inno 
cent and useful medicines in cases of dyspepsy, and will hazard the further 
opinion, that, were those laboring under the wasting influences of this dis- 
ease to drink gall-hitiers and conmie themselves exclusively to the use of 
some one kind of diet, (animal food always preferable,) thousands who are 
now pining away by piecemeal, would be restored to jperfect soundness^ and 
snatched from the very threshold of a certain gj-ave vjhich yawns to receive 
them! 

Resuming our course, we continued down Sibillis creek to its junction 
with the Laramie ; then, following the course of that river, in the afternoon 
of the third day we arrived at Fort Platte, after an absence of nearly two 
months, — having travelled, in the interval, a distance of more than live 
hundred miles. 

To give a general description of the country passed over during the 
concluding part of our journey, would seem too much like a recapitulation 
of previous remarks. 

Onr observations in reference to the river and creek bottoms, may be 
again correctly applied ; as may, also, those relative to the timber, and the 
geological character of the adjoining prairies. 

Several miles above the Fort we crossed the Chugwater, a large affluent 
of the Laramie, from the right. This creek takes its rise in a wild and 
desolate section of the Black iliils, near the head of Horse creek. 

Thirty miles or more of its way is traced through a dreary wilder- 
v^ess of rock, sand, and clay, almost entirely devoid of vegetation. 

This re^rion, it is said, affords gold ; and, " indeed, I have received fre- 
quent assurances that that valuable metal has been procured, in small par- 
ticles, from among the sand of the creek-bed. 

This region also claims many natural curiosities, of which 1 may take 
occasion to speak more particularly hereafter ; — one, however, situated 
upon Chugwater, here seems more appropriately to demand a passing 
notice. 

It consists of a columnar elevation of sandstone and marl, towering 
aloft to the height of several hundred feet, like the lone chimney of some 
razed ma.nsion, — standing as the melancholy monument of the ruins that 
surround it. 

This singular pile of rock and earth is nearly of a quadrangular form, 
quite regular in its structtn-e, and compares very nearly with the " ChJia> 



A** FEMALE GAMBLERS. 



ney " below Scot's Bluff, in its general outlines. It stands within a short 
distance of the east bank of the Chugv/ater, and gives the creek its present 
name.* 

Our arrival at the Fort dated the 26th of April. The boat being com- 
pleted, all things, save the spring rise, were in readiness for the intended 
voyage. 

This craft was put together in regular ship-shape, and finished in a 

workman-like manner. She measured fifty feet Iceel by thirteon beam, and, 
without her lading, drew but an inch and a half of water. Her intended 
burthen was between two and three tons. While admiring her beauty 
and symetry, little did I think of the siifferings in store for me with her 
hardy crew. 

Several important changes had taken place during onr absence. The 
Port with its fixtures now claimed different owners, and was occupied by 
the men of two companies besides our own. This swelled the present 
number to some forty or fifty, and afforded quite a lively scene. 

Now was an interval of leisure to all liands, and the time, unemployed 
in eating and sleeping, was passed in story-telling, ball-playing, foot-racing, 
target-shooting, or other like amusements. 

Several, forming tliemselves into a club for forensic debate, secured a 
prolific source of entertainment, for the time being. A partner in one of 
the trading firms, whose men were now stationed at tlie Fort, made him- 
self quite conspicuous as a participator in these discussions. 

He was very self-important and conceited, and not a little ignorant 
withal, and with regard to temperance, being uniformly about " three 
sheets in the wind," and the other JiuUering, his spoutings were an ex- 
haustless fund of laughter. 

At his request, in order to render the exercises more spiritedy the merits 
of tlie arguments presented were decided upon by a conunittee of three, 
and the speakers decided against, sentenced to liquorize the club. 

The treating, however, was always on one side ; for, as the whole busi- 
ness was an aflfafr of sport, the committee of arbitration generally had this 
primary object in view while pronouncing their decisions. When these 
were averse to our orator, he of course paid the forfeit as an affair of debt ; 
and when favorable to him, he was equally prompt in proferring a common 
treat, exultatory upon his fancied success. 

My own part in this performance was that of a mere looker-on, but it 
required of one more than my usual self-mastery, to retain his gravity under 
the potent influences of so ludicrous an exhibition. 

Other matters of interest, however, occurred ai this time, and, as they 
tend to throw some light upon Indian habits and customs, perhaps the 
reader will not look upon it as altogether out of place for rae to notice 
them. 

♦ The word " Chug " implies chimney ; of the derivation of the tenn, however, I 
am ignorant. 



SQUAW FASHIONS. 181 



At the two Forts in this neighborhood were some ten or twelve squaws 
married to the traders and engages of the diflerent far companies. These, 
ladies were in the liabit of meeting, occasionally, for gambling purposes. 
In this they acted as systematically as the most experienced black legs of 
a Mississippi steamboat; if they fr.iled to play as liigh, it was only for the 
lack of means. 

Ball-playing was one of the games upon which heavy bets were made. 
The instrument used in this amusement consisted of two globular forms, 
about two inches each in diameter, which were attached by a short string. 
The j)lay-ground was the open prairie in front of the Fort, and embraced an 
area of nearly a mile in extent. 

As the initiatory step, each party, composed of equal numbers, selected 
an equal amount of valuables, consisting of beads, scarlet, vermilion, rings, 
awls, shells, &c., which were placed in two piles about half a mile apart, 
and equi-distant between them was placed the ball. Each gamestress, armed 
with her club, then repaired to the spot, and the opposing parties arrayed 
themselves, the one facing the other with the ball between them. At a given 
signal they all strike — the one party striving to propel it towards its own 
valuables, and the other to force it in a contrary direction. The party pro- 
pelling it to its own pile, wins, and becomes entitled to both. 

As success in this game depends more upon fleetness of foot than skill 
in striking, a large party of squaws, thus engaged, opens to the beholder a 
rich scene of amusement. 

Another game is still more extensively practised among them. This is 
somewhat upon the principle of dice, though different in its details. 

Six plum-stones, smoothly polished, and marked with various parallel, 
triangular, and transverse lines, are thrown loosely iato a small, plate-Hke 
basket, around which the players are seated with their stores of trin- 
kets. The leader then receives the basket in one hand, and, briskly mov- 
ing it to change the position of the dice, suddenly strikes it upon the 
ground, tossing the plum-stones from their places and catching them in their 
descent. 

The amount won depends upon the number of triangular and transverse 
lines left uppermost. 

The loser, having paid the forfeit, next takes the basket and describes 
the same movements, receives her winnings in like manner, and returns it to 
her opponent, — and so on alternately. 

Much cheating and trickery are practised in this game. 

The game of hand, for a description of wliich the reader is referred to a 
previous marginal note, is also a favorite play with squaws as well as men. 
Large parties of both sexes not unfrequoitly engage in tJiis amusement, 
and many a poor Indian loses his all by the operation. 

Speaking of squaws reminds me of not having previously described 
their dress and appearance. 

The dress of a squaw is scarcely less simple than that of an Indian. 
Two pieces of skin, sewed together in a bag;-]ike form, (of sufficient sizt 
to envelope the body from neck to knee, leaving an aperture for the formti 
16 



182 INTfiRESTlNG TO ANTIQUARIANS. 



with the arms,) constitute her gown, which is completed by two othet 
pieces of skin sewed from neck to waist so as to fall loosely upon the arms 
as far as the elbow ; then, with leggins of thin deer or antelope skin, 
garnished moccasins, and a painted robe, you have before you the full rig 
of a mountain squaw. 

Some of the younger ones, however, flaunt dresses quite tastefully orna- 
mented, with full capes and fringe-works, garnished with beads and porcu- 
pine-quills, that present a wild, fantastic appearance, not altogether es- 
tranged to beauty. 

A squaw prides herself much upon the number of rings in her ears and 
upon her fingers, as well as the taste displayed in plaiting her hair and 
beautifying her face. 

Women, in savage alike with civilized life, are vested with a good sup- 
ply of pride and vanity in their composition, — all, fond of show and gaudy 
equipage. But the mountain squaw, next to ornaments, displays the most 
vanity in the gay caparison of her riding horse, and the splendid trappings 
of his saddle. Both of them are fancifully garnished with beads and paint, 
and bestrung with various trinkets, that impart a tinkling sound, as they 
strike each other at every movement, and fill the rider's ears with that wild 
and simple music so consonant to her feelings and thoughts. 

Men and women practise the same mode of riding, (astride,) and a 
squaw is as much at home on horseback as the most experienced cavalier. 

This fashion is properly considered unbecoming for ladies of civilized 
countries ; yet, improper as it may seem, it is quite common with the ladies 
of New Mexico. 

As my subsequent travels in the countries bordering upon the Rocky 
Mountains preclude the opportunity of speaking connectedly of the Sioux 
nation, I cannot forego the present occasion for presenting to the curious, 
some few items relative to the language of these Indians, that tend to shed 
no small amount of fight upon the ancient history of tlie American conti- 
nent. 

There are several remarkable peculiarities in the Sioux language, that 
cannot fail to prove interesting and satisfactory, so far as they go, to all 
lovers of antiquarian research. 

The first of these consists in the striking similarity observable in its 
general structure to that of the ancient Romans, when the two are care- 
fully compared with each other. 

In regard to the arrangement of words and the construction of sen- 
tences, they are both governed by the same fixed laws of euphony, irre- 
spective of the relative position otherwise maintained by tiie different 
parts of speech. It Vv'ill be observed that the leading purpose of the speak- 
er of either language is, to avoid a harsh and inharmonious intermingling 
of words, such as would grate upon the ear when pronounced in an ab- 
rupt connection ; and, by so doing, to give a smooth and musical turn to 
the expression of his ideas. 

The few brief sentences, hereto subjoined in the same order as they oc 
•nr in tlie original, accompanied by the translation of each word as it ap- 
pear!, will serve to illustrate tiiis matter more fully : 



COMPARISON OF LANGUAGES. 



183 



LATIN. 

Invictum animi robur ostensit. 
Invincible of mind strength he displayed. 
Omnia delicarum instnimenta e 

All of delicacies tlie intruments from 
castris ejecit. 

camp he cast. 
Non amo nimium diligeutes. 

Not I love overmuch tJie careful. 



SIOUX. 
Tepe nea-tour toocta ? 
Lodge your own where is it 1 
Mea warchee muzarka nea-tour. 
I want gun your own. 
Kokepa warneclie wecharcha ha, 
Afraid nothing the man is. 
Minewarka appello warktaslme ha 
Medicine- water I say not good is. 



. A mere glance at the foregoing will at once show the constructional 
eimilarity between the two ; and, to illustrate the proposition still farther, I 
nere subjoin yet other proofs of a more important relationship : 



LATIN. 

Appello, (pres. ind., 1st per. sing.; inf. 
appellare,) I declare^ I proclaim. 

Bestia, a wild beast. 

Caeca, uncertain^ ambiguous^ confu- 
sed^ rash. 

Cogor, 0716 who collects^ brings togeth- 
er, compels, forces, or heaps up. 

Mea, (mens, a, um.) of or belonging 
tome. 

Mena, a narroto sharp fish. 

Ne, (this when affixed to a word or a 
sentence gives it a negative signi- 
fication,) no, not. 

Papae, rare, excellent, wonderful. 

Pater, father. 

Pes, the foot. 

Taurus, a bull. 

Tepor, warmth. 

Tuor, (tui, tutus sum,) to look, to see. 



SIOUX. 

Appello, I declare, I proclaim, I tell, 

I make known. 
Beta, a buffalo. 

Ceicha, bad, disorderly, unsound. 
Cogor, a maker of anything, a manu' 

facturer, one loho produces a thing 

by an ingenious arrangement ^ 

materials. 
Mea, I, myself, me. 
Mena, a knife. 
Ne, (this word is used precisely the 

same as in Latin, and has a similar 

meaning,) not. 
Papa, meat, flesh used for food. 
Pater, fire. 
Pea, the foot. 
Tau, (or tab,) a bull. 
Tepe, a lodge. 
Tula, (astonishment,) look! see there! 



I might pursue tliis comparison to a yet greater extent, were ray know- 
ledge of Sioux sufficiently full and critical for the task, (for I have a firm 
confidence that mririy other similarities might be pointed out, quite as glar- 
ing in their character as any of the above ;) but, enough, I trust, has al- 
ready been said to fortify the position so largely warranted by the pre- 
(nises, to wit : that in former ages the Romans maintained a foothold upon 
the American continent, and had inlercourse with this nation, either by arms 
cr by commerce. 

The argument drawn from the foregoing is still furtlier strengthened, 
when we take into consideration the fact, that language is constantly vary- 
ing in its form, and changing the meaning and pronunciation of its words, 
as time progi-esses. To exemplify this more clearly and forcibly, let the 
reader compare the works of standard English authors of the present day 
with those of the like not more than five imndred years since, and he will 
feadily acknowledge the palpable indications of progressive c twinge. 



IM TEH A0MA5S IN AXEIUCJL 

If 10 ihort an interval has produced a transformation so bold in awrittei 
language, what might we look for in one spoken only ? 

But, an interval of three times five hundred years has passed since the 
Romans and the Sioux held intercourse with each other, and we yet find 
the general structure of the two languages strikingly similar, and several 
of their words identical in meaning and pronunciation ! And, though th« 
latter observation fails in some cases, even this, so far from proving any- 
thing averse to the position before assumed, serves to strengthen it. 

The word pater, for instance, pronounced alike in both languages, dif« 
fers in signification ; being used in the one to imply father^ in the otner 
fire. This apparent discrepancy of meaning may be explained in a few 
words. The Sioux are accustomed to venerate the sun as one of the more 
especial manifestations of tiie Divine Essence, who is regarded as the 
FATHER or creator of all things ; and it, being the great source of light 
and heat, is naturally looked upon as an immense body of fire. Thus, in 
the course of ages, the term became perverted in its meaning and applica- 
tion, and, instead of being used to express the sun, or Great Spirit, the 
father of all, it now only imphes the simple element of fire, an emanation 
from the sun. 

So in relation to the Latin word tepor, warmth^ and the Sioux word tepe, 
a lodge. The lodge is employed in winter to retain the heat within itself, 
and exclude the cold air; nor is it wonderful that, in the progress of years, 
the term tejpor, or iejpe, should become the only one by which a lodge is 
known. 

The word mena, is also pronounced ttie same in both, though different in 
its signification ; meaning, in Latin, a narrow sharp fish, and, in Sioux, a 
knife. In explanation of this, I would barely refer to the similarity of 
shape between a knife and a narrow sharp fish. 

The relationship disclosed between these two languages is seemingly 
too close and significant to be attributed to mere chance or accident, and 
can be in no other way satisfactorily accounted for, than by admitting the 
correctness of the premises before quoted. 

But this position, curious as it may seem to some readers, and impreg- 
nable as it must doubtless prove, has other weapons to protect it at com- 
mand ; and, ere dismissing the subject, I will briefly notice some of them. 

It is by no means a conjecture of recent origin, that the ancient Romans 
did actually colonize portions of the American continent. The industri- 
ous researches of antiquarians have long since brought to light many items 
which prove and strengthen it, tliough none of tliem so tangible and obvi- 
ous as those previously noticed. 

Several obscure hints of the existence of extensive Roman colonies 
planted westward of the Pillars of Hercules, (doubtless alluding to the 
American continent,) have been detected in the writings of ancient authors 
yet extant; but still further proof is affi)rded in the relics of temples, cities, 
roaie, and fortified camps, long since discovered in Peru, Mexico, and the 
United States, which strongly savor of Roman origin. 

The ancient works at Marietta, Ohio, have been regarded, by not a few, 
as the offiipringof Roman industry and military t^cience, — and various other 
remains, that signahze the Mississippi valley, point quite plainly to thii 
jMtion for a parentage. But a proof, still more conclusive than any yet ad- 



W£ EMBARK. IW 



dnced, is aflbrded by the discovery of a genuine Roman coin, in the Stats 
of Missouri, several years since. 

T'ddug all these corroborative circumstances in connection, the fact that 
Roman colonies did exist, to some extent, upon this continent in past ages, 
must be regarded as •placed beyond successful controversy. 



CHAPTER XV IL 



Singular «xhibition of natural afiection.— Embark for the States.— Scarcity of pt^ 
visions and consequent hardship and suffering. — Extraordinary daring of wolves.— 
Difficulties of navigation. — Novel diet.— Fishing. — A fish story, and another ts 
match it.— A bull story.— Hard aground and dismal situation. — Extreme exposure.— 
Cold, hungry, and Wvis.— Again afloat.— Re-supply of provisions.— Camp on fire.-~ 
A picture of Platte navigation.— Country north of river. — Adventure with a bull.— 
Indian benevolence.- -Summary of liardships and deprivations.— Abandon voyage. 

Soon after oui return, one of the hunters came in from a short excursion 
followed by a bufialo calf, which appeared as tame and docile as if always 
accustomed to the presence of man. 

This incident first brought to my knowledge a remarkable peculiarity in 
the nature of these animals, — viz : the strength of affection existing between 
the mother and her offspring. 

The buffalo will never desert her calf, except in cases of imminent 
danger, and then, never for a long time ; — she is certain to return promptly 
in search of it, even at tlie hazard of her own life. The calf, on the other 
hand, exhibits an equal, or rather superior, love for its mother. 

If she, to whom he owes his birth, falls a prey to the relentless hunter, he 
deserts her not, but lingers near her lifeless carcase, till the butcher-knife 
performs its office, and tlie reeking flesh belades the pack-horse ; — nor then, 
even, does he leave her. 

As the honored relics are borne away, he not unfrequently follows on, 
mournfully, regardless of aught else, as if saying, " Where thou goest let 
me go, and now thou art dead, I would live no longer." There is some- 
thing toucliirigly beautiful in such exhibitions of natural affection on the 
part of dumb brutes. 

May 1th. Availing ourselves of a slight rise of water, we embarked on 
our meditated voyage to the States. 

The boat was freighted with some sixty packs* of robes, and provisions 
for four weeks. A barge belonging to another company, also in readiness, 
started with us, and we all flattered ourselves witli the hope of a speedy 
and pleasant trip. 

The two boats numbered a united crew of eleven men, — mine ccuia^ 
ing of five, and that of our consort counted six. 



m NOT TO BE ENVIED. 



Slipping cable, we glided midway of the stream, and gave a parting 
salute to the friends who lined the shore, accompanied by a loud hurra 
and waving of hats, deeply responded to by them, — and even tears coursed 
their way a down the dusky visages of our voyageurs, when mindful of 
the fate separating tliem — perhaps forever ! 

The crews now struck up a merry song, while the dripping oars, as they 
■pumed the crystal waters, responded their time in measured strokes. 

As we passed swiftly along and were fast receding from within hailing 
distance of the Fort, an old mountaineer, who stood gazing upon us, ex- 
claimed, " Ah, boys ; you can sing now, but your tune will be altered ere- 
long !" 

This strange announcement, though a riddle at the time of its utterance, 
soon began to more than verify itself, and often did we repeat the remark, 
" Well, sure enough, our tune has changed." 

Moving along prettily during the day — sometimes floating with the cur- 
rent then again plying oars, — we reached the mouth of Horse creek ; and, 
passing on a short distance, lay to for the night. 

The day following we again pushed off; but, after proceeding ten or 
twelve miles, tiio water became so shallow, we were compelled to lay by to 
await a further rise, and struck camp in a small grove of cottonwood upon 
the right bank of the Platte, a s'hort distance above Scott's Bluff. Here we 
remained for some two weeks. 

The crew of our consort being poorly supplied with provisions, we 
divided our own with them, and, at the expiration of a few days, were left 
entirely destitute. 

From this on, we were depf3ndent solely upon such game as chance 
threw in our way, — sometimes starving for tvv'o or three days, and then 
feasting for a hke interval, upon the products of successful hunting. 

To us was a tedious lot, — there being no game in the country, save per- 
chance a few straggling bulls, and they rarely within less distance than ten 
or twelve miles. Our hunting excursions often led further than that, and 
when we were so fortunate as to kill, the proceed;, were borne upon our 
Dacks to camp. We became so accue-tomed to packing in this manner, it 
was thought no extra burthen for an individual to carry upwards of a hundred 
pounds of fresh meat at a ^angie load, some ten or twelve successive miles, 
over an open, sandy prairie, and beneath the scorching rays of an almost 
vertical sun. 

So far from regarding it a task, we esteemed it a pleasure, and were 
glad to appease the cravings of appetite even at so small a sacrifice of 
comfort and convenience. 

The reason for the scarcity of all kinds of game in the vicinity of the 
river at tliis time, was tl-e recent biuning of the prairie upon both sides, 
for many miles back, leaving not even the vestige of vegetation for the 
subsistence of any graminivorous animals. 

This we found to be the case nearly the entire distance to the forks. 

During the latter part of our stay at this camp, it rained almost inces- 
santly ; we also encountered a severe snow storm. 

The winds were usually high, and frequently blew with humcane>vio 
Itnee. 



FISH STORIES. 187 

A pack of hungry wolves, attracted by the scent of camp, were oij! 
regular nocturnal visitors, and proved a constant source of annoyance. Or 
one occasion they carried off a bake-kettle to a distance of several huiuircd 
yards ; — at another time, they took away a tin-pan. whicli we never after- 
wards recovered ; — and, stranger yet, one night these piratical pests stole a 
fur cap from off my head while I was sleeping, and in the morning, after a 
diligent search, no trace of it could be found. 

The river having slightly risen,' we again loosed cable, and, after toiling 
all day, and tugging with might and main, by hand-spikes and levers, — 
twisting, screwing, and lifting, now in water up to our necks, and now on 
dry sand-bars, we succeeded in dragging, or rather carrying, our craft for a 
distance of about five miles, and again lay oy for four succeeding days to 
await a still further rise. 

Upon the opposite side of the river was a bald-eagle's nest, with two half- 
grown fledgelings. One of our party, ascending the tree, captured tiie 
young ones, and we had a fine meal from their carcases. A wood-duck's 
nest, containing some twelve eggs, near by, afforded a seasonable repast,— 
and, in hunting for game, wo came upon the nest of a wild goose, as weU 
as those of numerous ravens among the neighboring cottonwoods and wil- 
lows, which we subjected to such forced contributions as appetite demanded. 

A portion of the interval was employed in fishing, but with poor success, 
the fish of the Platte being nearly all of them small, and not very plentiful 
even, at tliat. 

An old Franco-Canadian, of our crew, here favored us with, perhaps, a 
little the biggest fish story of any told at the present day. 

He had been down the Missouri on several occasions in boats connected 
with the fur trade. On one of these voyage.^, while in the act of reacliing 
over the boat-side for a drink of water, he dropped his cup, which imme- 
diately sank to the bottom of the river and was lost. 

Three years afterwards he again passed the same place, with hooks and 
lines attached to the boat-stern for the purpose of catching fish as he glided 
along. 

A large cat-fish, attracted by the tempting bait borne upon the hook, 
greedily swallowed it, and, in a trice, found himself translated to a new 
and strange element. 

The creature was so heavy, it took two men to pull him into the boat, while 
his gigantic proportions astonished all beholders. 

But the most surprising thing was revealed on opening him ; — there, 
snugly stowed away in one corner of the monster's capacious maw, repo- 
sed tJie identical cup our voyageur had lost, three years before, with hii 
name and the date marked upon it ! 

" Pooh ! Gumbo," said an old sailor, " I can beat such stories as that,all 
day. 

" Why, fellow, on my last trip from Liverpool to New York, a shark 
followed the ship for a long time, picldng up such bits of bread and meat 
as were thrown into the sea. 

* Our steward was a very careless fellow, and, in shaking the table- 
cloth, he would frequently drop overboard the knives and forks and spoona 
uid rtceived from the captain several floggings on that account He wai 



188 B1MXETSIN A BVtL. 

ftven accused of stealing them, but strongly protested his innocence of th# 
latter charge. 

" Among our passengers was an old whaleman, who, being very expert 
m the use of the harpoon, took it into his head one day to victimize the 
Bhark. After several ineffectual attempts, he finally succeeded in forcing 
his instrument through the monster's vitals, and drew the lifeless carcase 
alongside. 

"The piratical cruiser was so thundering big, it took eight men with 
tackles to raise it on board ; — it must have weighed at least sixteen hun- 
dred pounds ! The body of the greedy creature was then laid upon deck, 
and on opening it all were astonished ! What do you think was foundj 
Gumbo ?'^ 

" Sacre sharp ! Certes me tink dey fine de spoon, de fork an de knife ♦ 
Him shark no follow de ship for nottin." 

" Well, boys, what do you all suppose was found ?" 

'* Indeed, we could'nt say." 

" Guess," 

'•• The knives and sp(X)ns, of course,' 

'• You are wrong, to a man." - 

" What, in the name of reason, could it have been ? Do tell — we give 
it up." 

"tiang me, if you aint a bright set of fellows! — Can't guess a thing 
so easy ? Why, if I must tell you — 'twas guts, — only guts — nothing in 
;• le world but giUs .'" 

" Look here, Jack," said one of the listeners, advancing towards him hat 
* 1 hand, " you can take this. We'U be quite likely to remember hereafter 
' lat fish generally carry their guts inside !" 

Tiie old Frenchman looked rather crest-fallen at the curious manner in 
/hich his extraordinary fish story had been matched, — but felt little dis- 
osed to yield his laurels witlioiit au effort to retrieve them, — so, calling to 
' id his recollections of the marvellous, he again commenced. 

Several years ago, while in the employ of the American Fur Company, 
ur hero and another man were sent expresses to a distant post It was 
r. 'inter; and they travelled on foot, depending for daily subsistence upon 
ffuch game as chance brought in their way. Their course lay through an 
open and cheerless prairie, covered with snow, and the journey occupied 
iiearly a month. 

Having been en route some five or six days, their ammunition began t© 
fail in the item of lead, — and only two bullets were left. Their condition 
now became extremely desperate, as there was no way of procuring a 
re-supply,-— -and anticipated starvation stared them in the face. 

Determined to eat as long as the means of subsistejice remained, their 
last balls were shot away in killing a bufiulo bull. After furnishing them- 
selves from his carcase with a large supply of meat for present and future 
use, our hero proceeded to cut a few locks of hair from off the creature's 
head, for the purpose of stuffing his moccasins. 

**BorDieu! Vat you tink me fine? You no can tell all day ! Me 
no fuk yoQ gnesB. Bon Dieu ! c'etre admirable. Me tme forty faallas, io 



HOW WK SUFFERBIX 189 

he head. Me get 'em out Sacre tonnerre ! den me had him eufficient la 
poiidie and la Dallas for de route ! No go hungry una leetil bit !" 

On the fifth day subsequent, we again launched forth into the strean\ 
and after a series of most extraordinarj' exertions, (being obliged to lighten 
our boat several times, by carrying its loading on shore, and reloading as 
often, thus to enable us to lift it over sand-bars,) we succeeded in getting it 
Bome three miles, and finally became safely moored in the middle of the 
river, from which it was impossible to extricate ourselves either by going 
backwards, forwards, or eidewise — with or without a cargo. 

Here we remained for three days, and experienced, during the interval, 
a continuous fall of rain and sleet, which rendered the weather dismal and 
our own situation disagreeable in the extreme. 

A cliche of liquor ha\ang been made, fifteen or twenty miles distant, by a 
trader connected witli our consort, a month or two previous, imforbid- 
ding as was the weather, the crew could not rest content until the hidden 
treasure was among them. 

Improving the opportunity presented by a slight suspension of the storm, 
one morning two of them started to procure it. Soon after it commenced 
snowing and raining, accompanied by a fierce, cutting wmd and all the 
withering bleakness of a winter's blast. 

Still keeping on, however, they obtained the cS^che, and returned with it 
towards the boat. 

But night shut in upon them by tlie way, and a thrice dreary night it 
was. Being too drunk to navigate, they lost their course and were forced 
to camp in the open prairie, without wood or aught else of which to build a 
fire, or even a robe to cover or a rock to shelter thera from the chill wind 
and peltings of the pitiless storm. 

Half-frozen with cold and wet to the skin, they lay upon the muddy 
ground and passed tlie interval, not in sleep, but in a state of drunken 
stupor, produced by inordinate draughts upon the contents of their keg. 

On the next morning they reached the boat, — a beautiful looking couple, 
as might well be supposed ! Covered with mud from head to foot, their 
clothes were wringing wet, and their faces bloated and swollen almost to 
twice their natural size. So complete was the transformation, they were 
scarcely recognizable as the same persons. 

But, regardless of hardship and sufiering, they stuck to the liquor-keg 
and brought it with them as proof of their triumph. 

And now commenced a scene of drunken revelry, which, despite my 
efibrts to prevent it, soon communicated itself to both crews, and continued 
without intennission till the stock on hand was exhausted. 

The lack of a fire by which to warm ourselves, contributed materially 
to the misery of our present condition ; there being no wood procurable 
for that purpose within five or six miles of either shore, and having none 
on board, we were compelled to endure the dreary interval as best we 
could. 

But another evil came pressing upon our already heavy load throuj^b 
the entire exhaustion of provisions, and tlie last of our stay was mads 
twice forbm by cold and tasting. 



190 PICrrURE OF THE PLATTE. 






The gloomy reality of tliis sitaatioii may be thus briefly summed up ;— 
we were fast agroiuid in the middle of a river, three-fourths of a mDe 
from either shore, confined to the narrow hmits of a few feet, exposed to 
the merciless peltings of a chill storm of r.iin and sleet, with only a thiir 
lodge skin to shelter us, without fire to warm cr dry ourselves by, and, 
worse tlian all, destitute of the means of appeasing the gnawings of hun- 
ger. 

But, forbidding as the picture may seem, it proved only the commence- 
ment of a long series of suffering and deprivation, more intensely dread- 
ful in its nature, that was yet held in reserve for us. 

On the forenoon of the fourth day the storm abated, and, favored with a 
slight rise of water, by dint of extraordinary efiTcrt we finally succeeded in 
getting afloat, and gained the right shore after pulling our craft over sand- 
bars for a distance of two miles. 

All hands now turned out in search of game, one ol whom returned, 
towards night with an antelope, providing us with a needful supply of food 
for the time being. 

The next day, forcing our craft onward for six or eight miles, we 
brought to upon the left shore, where, after a short excursion among the 
hills, two other antelope were brought in, v/hich furnished us with a fur- 
ther supply of provisions. 

The day following we continued our voyage till towards noon, when a 
high wind compelled us again to lay by under the lee of a small island. 

Here, towards night, having spread our robes near the camp fire, while 
all hands were busy at the boat, a sudden gust of wind bore the sparks 
among the dry grass, and in an instant the ^vhole island was one sheet of ^ 
flame ! robes, bLmkets, and all. were almost entirely destroyed, notwitli- 
standing our prompt efforts to save them. 

Continuing on, the next morning we forced our boat, or rather carried it, 
down stream for about fifteen miles, — wading the river for nearly tho whole 
distance. 

Our mode of voyaging was pretty much the same, each day of its con 
tinuance. Sailing was out of the question. 

Not unfrequently we were obliged to unload five or six times in the 
course of a few liours, in order to lift tlie boat over high sand-bars,— 
carrying its cargo upon our backs through the water a half-mile or more, to 
some dry place of deposit for the mean time ; then returning it in the hke 
tiresome manner, — now in water up to our arm-pits, — ^then scarcely enough 
to cover the sand of tlie river bed. 

As for a channel there was none, or rather, there were so many we were 
at a continual loss which to choose. 

Now, gliding along merrily for a mile or two, we are brought to a halt 
by the water scattering over a broad bed, and find ourselves snugly 
* pocketed,'^ witii no otlier means of extrication than by backing out ; theii| 
wading against a swift current, we retrace our steps for a like distance, 
tuid try another chute, perhaps with no better success ; — then, again, con- 
▼eying our landing to the nearest point of land, by means of hand-spikei 
afid levers, (requiring an exercise of the utmost streng^thj we force 9V 



HARD FATI. 191 



empty craft over the shoals, and again load it, perhaps, to re-act the same 
■cene in a brief interval. 

Sometimes we were obliged to travel (for such navigation as this waa 
tenfold worse than travelling) four of five miles to make one mile headway. 
By crossing and re-crossing a river varying in width from one to two miles- 
first advancing, then retreating ; now taking to the right, tlien to the left ; 
now transverse, and then oblique, we wasted our time, strength, and pa- 
tience, in labor to Uttle or no purpuse. No one, unless practically experi- 
enced, can have a correct idea of the beauties of such a voyage. 

Towards night, attracted by the appearance of a couple of bulls among 
the sand-hills, we brought to upon the left shore, and succeeded in kiUing 
one of them. 

A high wind the day following kept us encamped and afforded another 
opportunity for hunting. 

Improving the occasion to explore the country northward, and obtain, if 
possible, some correct conception of its general character, a jaunt of four 
or five miles, over the bottom of rich alluvial soil skirting tlie river, ushered 
me into a high rolling prairie, partaking of the mixed nature of the garden 
and desert. 

The hills, in many places, were piles of sand or sun-baked clay, with 
scarcely a shrub or spire of grass to hide their nude deformity, while the 
space between them sported a rich soil and luxuriant vegetation, and was 
clothed in the verdure and lovehness of spring, and adorned with blushing 
wild-flowers in full bloom. 

Further on were yet higher summits, surmounted by pines and cedars, 
raising their heads in stately grandeur far above the sweet valleys at their 
feet. 

Taken together, the scenery was not only romantic and picturesque, but 
bewitching in its beauty and repulsive in its deformity. 

The prevailing rock was a dark, ferruginous sandstone, and argillaceous 
limestone, interspersed with conglomerates of various kinds. 

Proceeding to a distance of about fifteen miles from the river, in hopes 
of finding game, I encountered nothing save a solitary band of wild horses, 
that fled across the sand-hills with the fleetness of the wind on my appear- 
ance, after which I returned to the boat much fatigued from the excursion 

Our other hunters had also returned ; but neither of them with better 
success than myself. 

The subsequent morning we again renewed our voyage. Soon after, an 
(M bull presenting himself upon the river bank, we landed, and one of the 
crew approached him from the water-edge. 

The old fellow, unconscious of the danger which threatened, permitted 
the hunter to advance till within three or four yards of him. The sharp crack 
of a rifle-shot first awoke him to a sense of his situation, when, reeling, n« 
plunged headlong from the steep bank into the river. Our marksman, ii 
an effort to dodge the falling beast, tumbled backwards into swimming wa 
ter — lost his gun, and came very near being drowned. 

The bull made halt at a sand-bar, near by, and received nineteen shots ip 
his carcase before he could be dispatched. 



IM IVFCXBSIBLI rO f ROCEED. 

When killed, Ms hams were found half eaten by wolves, and hi« wboto 
body otherwioe so badly mangled we left it unbutchered. 

In the afternoon, having pursued our way eight or ten miles, we lay by 
for the night. 

A high wind and rain during the three succeeding days prevented further 
progress, and in the interval our provisions became again exhausted. 

While here, observing two Indians in the distance, running bu^yo, I 
took three men and started to meet them. On coming up, we found an old 
Indian with his eon engaged in butchering. Announcing the object of my 
visit to be the procurement of meat, they listened without a reply, but con- 
tinued their operations, — laying tlie selections in two separate heaps. 

When finished, the old man led up his horse, and, pointing to an assorted 
pile, told me it was mine, and the animal also should be at my service to 
convey it to camp. 

His village, he remarked, was a long distance over the hills, on the 
watch for Pawnees, and though in a directly opposite course from us, he 
loved the white man and would give hirn meat and a horse to carry it. 

Accepting the offer of the generous-hearted savage, I took the heavy- 
laden horse and returned to tho boat, — ^the owner following to regain ms 
beast. When arrived, he hinted at no remumeration for his kmdness, 
and mounting his horse, would have left for his village. 

Where will you find among civilized people men thus generous and 
obliging ? Such cases are indeed rare. The savage here proved himself 
of more noble principles than nineteon-twentieths of his enlightened and 
christianized brethren, whose religion teaches them to love their neighbor 
OS themselves, and do to others as they would Uke to be done unto ! 

Unwilling that such disinterested kindness should go unrewarded, I made 
the old man some trifling presents, which he accepted with great pleasure, 
and, pressing his hand to his breast, exclauned : " Chanta-ma warstaello !" 
(my heart is good !) and, shaking hands with the company, put whip to his 
horse and was soon out of si^ht. 

It is useless to notice the particular progress of each day, or to state how 
many times we unloaded in the interim — how often we crossed the river, oi 
how far we carried our boat by main strength ; these things have been 
already laid before the reader sufficiently to give him some faint idea of the 
intolerable hardships and sufferings we were compelled to undergo. Each 
day was but a repetition of the toils and struggles of the preceding one. 

Neither would it be interesting to state the especial half-day, day, or suc- 
cessive days we went without eating, meanwhile ; suffice it to say, the 
morning of the lOf.h of June found us at the mouth of a small creek upon 
the right shove, about two hundred miles below the Fort, — having been 
thirty-five days en barquetle, and without eating for full one tliird of that 
time ! The expected spring rise had failed, and the river was very low and 
stiJl falling, so that there was no possible chance of conveying our cargo to 
the States, as the most difticult part of tlie voyage lay yet before us. I ac- 
cordingly abandoned all thoughts of the latter, and adopted such other ar- 
rangements as my judgment suggested upon the premises. 



193 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Hvntinf excuraion. — Thirst more painful than hunger. — Geological obeervations — 
Mournful casualty. — Sad scene of sepulture. — Melancholy night. — Voyage in an 
empty boat.— Ruins of a Pawnee village at Cedar Bluff —Plover creek. Cacne 
Grove. — Tliousand Islands. — Abandon boat, — Exploring company. — A horrible situ- 
ation. — Agony to torment. — Pawnee village. — Exemplary benevolence of an Indian 
chief. — Miserable fourth ot July. — Four days starvation. — Arrival at Council 
Bluff. — Proceed to Independence. 

For two days preceding we had been without eating, and our first eflbrt 
was to procure a re-supply of provisions. Both crews started out with 
their rifles in pursuit of game, though not the foot-print of any living crea- 
ture appeared to excite even the faintest hope of success. 

Still, however, we kept on, determined not to despair so long as the use 
of legs remained to us. 

Having travelled some fifteen miles, chance threw in our way a doe-elk 
with her fawn, which the unerring aim of a rifle speedily laid dead before 
us. Soon as opened, the liver disappeared at the demands of voracious ap- 
petites, and next to it the marrov/ bones and kidneys. 

The process of cooking was then commenced over a fire of bois de vachey 
which was continued till each stomach was abundantly satisfied. But, 
here another enemy assumed the place of hunger, and one far more painful 
in its nature. There was not a drop of water to allay our thirst short of 
the river, fifteen miles distant, — over an open sand-prairie and beneath the 
scorching rays of a vertical sun. 

I can endure hunger for many days in succession without experiencing 
any very painful sensations, — I can lie down and forget it in the sweet un- 
consciousness of sleep, or feast my imagination upon the rich-spread tables 
of dreams ; — but not so with thirst. It cannot be forgotten, sleeping or 
waking, while existence is retained. It will make itself known and felt ! 
It will parch your tongue and burn your tliroat, despite your utmost endeavors 
to thrust it from memory ! 

Each one sjiouldering his burden from the carcase, we took up our line of 
march for the boat, where, arriving in four or five hours subsequently, we 
quenched our burning thirst in the water of the thrice welcome stream. 

The country, travelled over during tins excursion, for the first ten 01 
twelve miles, was a level plain, presenting a thin veg-etable mould with • 
luxuriant growth of grass and herbage, upon a substratum of sand anc' 
gravel. 

The remainder of our route led through h ridge of hills, many of then) 
naked, others clothed with grass and ornamented with pines ; — between the 
lumuli were many beautiful vallons, gorgeously decked with wild-flowers iu 
Tull bloom, and arrayed in mantles of living green ; while thick clusters of 
Sruit-bearing trees and shrubs attested tlie general fecundity and lent theii 
•nchantment to the scene. 
X7 



IW MOURNFUL CASUALTY. 



Beyond this a gentle acclivity, that led to the high prairies, spread before 
the beholder a wilderness of verdure, without one moving object to relieve 
its cheerless monotony. 

The boats were unloaded on our return and their contents placed in a 
compact pile upon shore, over which were spread two thicknesses of lodge* 
skin, to protect it from the weather. Other necessary arrangements were 
soon completed. Two men being selected to remain with the robes, two 
were dispatched to the Fort, while the remainder with myself were to make 
our way to the States, if possible, in an empty boat. 

Everything was put in order for departure the next morning, and a 
gloomy feeling pervaded each mind as the hour approached that was to 
separate a band so closely united by mutual sufFermgs, toil, and depriva- 
tion. 

Those selected to accompany me were congratulating themselves on the 
prospect of soon reaching the termination of their arduous and eventful 
expedition, among the friends and acquaintances of other days ; and none 
were more happy in the anticipation of this hoped for finale^ than was a 
lively French youth, named Prudom. 

Notwithstanding the general tendency of circumstances was to produce 
feehngs of melancholy, his voice rang loud in announcing the varied plans 
of amusement and pleasure, that were to be realized upon his arrival at 
home. 

For this day, so far at least, he had been the 'petit gar^on of the company ; 
and, it was frequently remarked, as his quaint expressions and sallies of wit 
burst upon the ear, " What in the world is the matter with Prudom ? 

His good nature and kindness of disposition had won the esteem of all 
acquainted with him, while his cheerfulness and fortitude at all times con- 
tributed much to render tolerable the dreariness of our forlorn condition. 

A little before night, the company indulged in a general cleansing, ac- 
companied by a shave and change of clothes. Prudom was among the 
number, for whom an intimate friend officiated as barber ; — the operation 
finished, he jokingly remarked : 

" Well, Tom, I suppose this is the last thne you'll ever shave me !" 

Little did the poor fellow think how soon his words were to be verified. 
Seizing his rifle he stepped on board the boat, and, stooping to lay it by, 
exclaimed, " Here's the game !" 

The words were scarcely uttered, when the gun-lock, coming in sudden 
contact with the boat-side, discharged the piece and shot him through the 
heart ! He staggered, faltering forth " Mon Dleu !" and fell dead at my 
feet!" 

A thrill of horror struck every nerve on witnessing tliis tragical event. 
If we had previously felt melancholy, we novv felt dismal and wobegone. 
He, who five minutes since was the very soul of cheerfulness and mirth, 
now lay a lifeless corpse ! How true it is, we " know not what a day or 
an hour may bring forth." 

The sun was just setting as we commenced digging a grave in which to 
deposite all that remained of our friend and companion. 



J 



HOW WE FARED. 195 

The task was a sad one, and as tedious as it was sorrowful. We hao 
neither shovel nor pick-axe, and were compelled to dig it with our butcher 
knives and hands. 

The pale-moon, new-risen, shed her sombre light over the dismal realms o" 
Solitude, and an ii.^ervening cloud cast its pall-like shaddow upon the 
scene of sepulture, as we laid low the corse in mother dust. No sliroud 
covered — no useless coffin enclosed it, — a grave was the only gift within 
the power of friendsliip to bestow ! A thin coating of earth succeeded by 
a layer of stones and drift-wood, and that again by another eartli-coat, was 
its covering, — then, the mournful task was done, — a tear dropt to the mem- 
ory of poor Prudom, and his body left to slumber in its narrow prison-house, 
till the sound of the last trump shall wake the dead to judgment.* 

That night to ua was a more painful one than any we had passed. A 
feeling of superstitious . awe, mingled with thrilling sensations of grief 
and thoughts of our own miserable condition, occupied each mind and 
usurped the soothing powers of sleep. The dolesome bowlings of the 
prairie-woll^ and hootings of the midnight owl, borne upon the listening 
air, kept sad condolence v/ith our musings, and gave increased momen- 
tum to the pressure that crushed our spirits. Who could sleep, amid 
such scenes and surrounded by such circumstances 1 

The rising sun of the morrow brought the hour of leparation, and ex- 
hibited upon every face the same downcast look, prefiguring the inwarii- 
workings of a mind a^oorbed in the melancholy of its own thoughts. 

My party consisted of six, some of whom were selected from the crew 
of our consort. We all embarked in one boat, taking with us a smail 
quantity of robes, (our own individual property,) and a portion of the pro- 
visions at camp. 

Our voyage for a few days succeeding, was performed without much 
difficulty, except in the article of food — for, from this onward, till v.e 
finally reached the settlements, (an interval of twenty-eight days,) vve 
were without eating full one half of the time ! 

Proceeding some thirty miles, we overtook the American Fur Com- 
pany's barges, three in number, the crews of which were struggling on 
in vain effort to reach the States. We glided past them with a loud 
huzza, and rallied the poor, toiling voyageurs, upon the futility of their 
exertions. 

Five or six days subsequently, we were, in turn, overtaken by them ; — 
they, like ourselves, abandoning all hope of accomplishing the objects of 
their voyage, had left their freight at Ash creek, under guard — and, from 
that on, became our compagnons de voyage. 

The only game previous to reaching the forks of the Platte — a distance 
of some two hundred miles — was now and then an antelope, with a few 
straggling deer. Our subsistence, meanwhile, was principally upon 

greenSf and such roots as we had tiine and opportunity to gather. 

The country was pretty much of a uniform character, with that pre- 
viously described. The rich alluvion of the river bottom reposed upon 
a varied substratum of sand, marl, gravel, and clay. 

* On my return the ensuing fall, 1 learned that the body of the unfortunate youig 
man had been disinterred by wolvee and devoiirod. 



196 ON FOOT. 



I noticed ieveral varieties of clays in the river banks exposed by the 
attrition of the water — of these were the white, red, black, yellow, blue, 
and green. 

The white clay is much used by the Indians in cleaning skins and robes ; 
in operation performed by mixing it with water till the compound as- 
sumes the color and about four times the consistency of milk, when it is 
applied to the surface of the article in hand ; the robe or skin thus wash- 
ed- after being thoroughly dried in the sun, is rubbed until it becomes 
soft and pliable from friction, and the grosser particles of the preparation 
are loosened and removed. 

By this simple process skins assume a milky whiteness, and every spot 
of grease or dirt is made to disappear. 

All kinds of skin may be thus cleansed, and will readily attain an un- 
soiled purity, surpassing that originally possessed. Red, yellow, black, 
blue, or any other kind of clay, may be used for like purposes, and will 
readily impart to the cleansed articles their own color. 

In case a single application is insufficient, repeat the process for two 
or three times, and there can be no possible failure in the result, provid- 
ed the clay is pure and good. 

Some twenty miles above the Forks, we passed a ridge of rocky hills 
exhibiting layers of limestone and sandstone in bold escarpments, that 
jutting into the river from the right, formed a high embankment covered 
with pines and cedars, known as Cedar Bluff. 

At the upper side of this point stood the remains of an old Pawnee 
village, which had been deserted by its inhabitants immediately after 
the bloody battle between that nation and the Sioux, at the mouth of Ash 
creek. 

The bottom, for several miles above, is rarely excelled in fertility. 
The islands are generally timbered, but the river banks upon both sides 
are almost entirely destitute of trees of any kind. 

From Cedar Bluff, in about eight miles, we came to the mouth of a 
large and beautiful creek, forcing its way, with a clear and rapid current, 
from the high rolling prairies to the north. This presented the appear- 
ance of being skirted with broad and fertile bottoms, well supplied witl 
timber among the hills. Though vested with eome importance on ac 
count of its size and locality, it is as yet nameless — the abundance o/ 
plovers in its vicinity at the time of my passing, suggested the term " Plo 
ver creek" as a proper appellation. 

Five or six miles further on, we came to a large grove of cottonwocU 
upon the right shore. Here, some five years vsince, a company of trade/a, 
while descending the Platte in boats loaded with furs, made cS-che of one 
hundred and sixty packs of robes, which they were compelled to leave on 
account of the low stage of the water. The luckless party, after enduring 
great hardships, arrived in the States ; but their c&che was subsequently 
plundered by Pawnees. 

The confluence of the North and South Forks made but little perceptible 
difference in tlie size of the river. From the junction, in five days' time 
we reached the vicinity of Grand Island, about two hundred and twenty 
Hiles from the nearest white settlements. 



-flXPLORlNG EXJ'EDrnON. 



197 

The high prairie upon tiie north shore, between the above points, is gen 
eraliy sandy. The river presents numerous clusters of islands, most o^ 
wiiich are heavily timbered and clothed with luxuriant growths of vegeta> 
tion. The soil is of a deep, sandy loam, and well adapted to cultivation: 
I noticed upon them several choice wild flowers of rare beauty. 

We experienced great difficulty in forcing our boats through a large 
group, called the " Thousand Islands," that thickly studded the river for 
some ten miles, and, before clearing them, found our passage completely 
blockaded. 

Having consumed an entire day in vain effort to proceed, we \--ere at 
length compelled to abandon the idea. The water was constantly Ming, 
and our condition hourly becoming worse. This forced upon us the dernier 
resort of performing the remainder of our arduous journey on foot. 

Accordingly, making ca,che of the personal property with us, we sunk our 
barges in a deep hole near by, threw all extra clothing into the river, and, 
each selecting a robe with as much meat as he could carry, we commenced 
our weary tramp. 

The property thus disposed of was of the value of several hundred dollars. 
Among other articles left in c^che, were arms and tools of various kinds. 

No one would now carry a gun, — as we were to pass througli a section 
of country destitute of game, and, being obliged to travel with all possible 
despatch to avoid starvation, good policy prompted us to dispense with every 
unnecessary encumbrance. For myself, however, I was unwilling to re- 
linquish my rifle, and determined to take it with me. 

There were fourteen of us, including the coups de barquette of the Ameri- 
can Fur Company ; and, as we trudged along at a pace enfeebled by a series 
of cruel hardships, fatigue, and starvation, — with provisions and beds bound 
m close bundles and strapped to our backs,— half-naked, long-bearded, care- 
worn, and haggard, — we looked like the last remnants of hard times ! 

The 28th of June dated the commencement of tills last stage of our tire- 
some pilgrimage. 

Having travelled some ten or twelve miles, we espied a camp of whites 
a short distance in advance, and were observed by them almost at the same 
time. Our appearance created an evident consternation, — ^their horses were 
driven in with great speed, and their guns stripped ready for action, while 
our or five men, mounted upon fleet chargers, rode out to reconnoitre. 

On ascertaining the cause of their alarm to be only a handful of unarmed 
men, they ventured up, and were saluted with the cordiality of old acquain- 
tances, so rejoiced were we at the sight of anything savoring of the endear- 
ments of home and civilization. 

The company proved one in tlie employ of the United States Government, 
under the command Lieut. J. C. Fremont, of the Corps of Topographical 
Engineers, on an expedition for the exploration and survey of the country 
laying between the Missouri river and the mountains. 

The commandant seemed a gentleman of urbanity and intelligence, and 
pohtely furnished us with all the passing news of the day preceding his 
departure from tlie States. 

Our smokers and tobacco-chewers, who had been for sometime without 
the sina qua non of -the mountaineer, now procured a re-eupplj for the induiU 
gonc« of theii filthy and unnatural taste. 
17 • 



196 INDIAN iONDMESS. 



Leaving our new-found friends, we continued on for a few miles, and 
halted a brief interval under the shade of a cottonwood grove. While thus 
reclining upon the green grass, what was our surprise at seeing three In- 
dians, who appeared suddenly in our midst extending their hands to greei 
us ! 

They belonged to a war-party of Chyennes, — had been to the Pawnees, 
and were now on their return, with three horses captured from tlie enemy. 

Continuing our course, towards sundown I began to find my rifle rathei 
cumbersome, and, yielding to the advice of all hands, threw it away. 

Having travelled till late at night, we laid ourselves down in the trail 
for repose;— the musquetoes, however, togetlier Vviih the heat, were so 
annoying, sleep was impossible. 

I never in my life before was so tortured by these relentless persecutors. 
Their sting was far more tolerable to me than the unending hum of their 
music. To exterminate them was a hopeless task, for, at the death of one, 
fifty would come to its funeral, — and to submit quietly to their rapacity and 
be eaten up alive by such loving friends, was more than human flesh and 
blood could endure. 

For three liours I lay,' sweltered by the heat and pierced by the hungry 
myriads that swarmed around, until my agony became so great it obtained 
the mastery of reason, and I was scarcely self-conscious whether a being 
of earth or an inhabitant of the realms of woe. 

In the height of my plirenzy I fancied four demons had hold of the ex- 
tremities of my robe, and were fiercely dragging me over a prairie of sharp 
rocks, that tore my flesh at every bound. The remainder of the party suf- 
fered equally v/ith myself, and none of them were permitted to close their 
eyes that night. 

June 29th. We started at early day, and pursued our journey till ten 
o'clock, which brought us to the foot of Grand Island, — a distance of sixty 
miles from the place of our adventure with the Indians during the previous 
afternoon. Here we indulged in a slight repast, and, reclining upon the 
grass, enjoyed a few hours' sleep, despite the continued amioyance of mus- 
quetoes. 

On arousing to resume the painful march, our legs were found in a ver) 
unenviable phght, and almost refused to sustain the accustomed burthen. 
Our feet, also, (softened and made tender by the mollifying effects of the 
water, to which they had been so long familiar, and, unused to the offices 
now newly forced upon them,) were sore and swollen to a frightful size. 
From this on, our journey was most intensely painful. 

But, notwithstanding all, we were compelled to keep moving, tliough oui 
progress seemed more like the passage of Mahomet's " bridge of swords " 
Ihan aught else imaginable. 

July 2d. This morning our stock of provisions was entirely exhausted, 
and yet a long distance intervened betv/een us and the settlements. 

Towards night, however, chance brought us in the way of » plentiful 
aiupper, by our encountering the Pawnee village on its way '/> the buf* 
falo range. We were entertained by the head chief in . hospitable 
■uumer, who furoished us bountifully with boiled oom and ^aush; and 



PART COMPANY. 1» 



we were also invited into several shantees with the same kind io 
tention. 

The Pawnee chief (Red Eagle, if my recollection serves me righd 
wai a generous old fellow, aged some sixty years. His benevolence 
was truly exemplary, as his conduct well attested. My moccasins, be- 
ing much worn by long usage, exposed to the ground the bottoms of 
my feet. This was no sooner discovered by the noble-hearted old man, 
than he pulled off his own (a pair of new ones) and gavo them to me ! 

What white man would have done the like? And this was done 
by the poor Indian, not from the expectation of reward, but through the 
promptings of an innate benevolence ! A small tin-cup, taken with me 
thus far, was the only return in my power to make. 

liOaving the village a little before sundown, we encamped for the 
night near the houses recently occupied by these Indians, after having 
travelled seven or eight miles- Their buildings are coniform, and con- 
structed of earth and timber, very similar to those of the Kansas tribe, 
described in a previous chapter. 

Several years ago, the Pawnees were a numerous and powerful na- 
tion, possessing an extensive territory, and occupying five large towns, 
viz : one upon the Republican branch of the Kansas river, one at the 
forks of the Platte, one south of the Arkansas near the Cumanche coun- 
try, one on Loup creek, and one some ninety miles above the moutli of 
the Platte. These several divisions were known by the terms of Pic, 
Mahah, Republican, Loup, and Grand Pawnees. The Riccarees, speaking 
the same language, may. also be reckoned a fraction of this tribe. The 
five villages before named are now reduced to two, i. e. on Loup creek and 
above the mouth of the Platte. 

The whole number of the Pawnee nation, exclusive of the Riccarees, 
probably does not exceed six thousand souls. -All of the western tribes 
being at war with them, their numerical strength is continually dimin- 
ishing. 

Slight advances have been made towards improving the condition of this 
nation, but, as yet, with little apparent success. A farmer, blacksmith, and 
schoolmaster are provided them under the patronage of the U. S. Govern- 
ment, and a missionary is also stationed among them by the American 
Board of Foreign Missions. 

They raise corn* and other vegetables, but their principal dependence 
for subsistence is upon the proceeds of hunting. Their general character 
is stamped with indolence, treachery and cowardice, for which they have 
become famous, not only among the whites, but also among their rude 
neighbors, — having thus attained the hatied of both. 

July 3d. This morning we parted company, and each of us undertook 
to make his way to Council Bluff according to the best of his ability. 
Being entirely destitute of food, it became us to urge our course with all 
possible dispatch. 

• I noticed one cornfield, near th© village, that contained rixty 
iai aypeuntnce nTored much of civilized agriculture. 



»0 KOTES BY THE WAT. 

Jvhf Aih. Accompanied by two others, in an equally forlorn condition, 
the " glorious fourth " finds me plodding along, over an open prairie, be- 
neath the scorching rays of a summer's sun, unarmed, half-naked, with a 
■houldered pack, and not having had a morsel to eat for the past two days. 

It is now I think of the festal boards and scenes of good clieer so omni- 
present upon Freedom's birth-day in tlie land of my nativity ! Mine ia 
a mode of celebrating Independence, that I care not ever again to obser\'e. 

On the 6th we reached the Ottoe mission and obtained food, after an ab- 
stinence of four successive days. 

Early in the morning of the 7th we arrived at Council Bluff on the 
Missouri, eight miles above the mouth of the Platte, and nearly four hun- 
dred above Fort Leavenworth. In the course of the day following our 
whole party came in, one after another — some of whom had become so 
weakened by hardship and deprivation they could scarcely move a dozen 
yards witliout stumbling ! 

Having remained a few days at Council Bluff to recruit our strength, we 

Erocured canoes and descended the Missouri. Tlie 21st inst. found me at 
[idependence, Mo., after an absence of nearly nine months, — having con- 
sumed seventy-five days upon my return voyage, and, in tlie meantime, ex- 
perienced a series of suffering and misfortunes seldom equalled and rarely 
surpassed. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



The country between the Pawnee village and Bellevieu, and from that to Fort 
Leavenworth. — Leave Independence for the Mountains. — Meet Pawnees. — In- 
dian hospitality. — Journey up the South Fork Platte. — Fort Grove. — Beaver creek. 
— Bijou. — Chabonard'B camp. — Country described. — Medicine Lodge. — The Chy- 
ennes ; their character and history. — Arrive at Fort Lancaster. — Diflerent locaUtiea 
in its neighborhood. — Fatal Duel. — Ruins. 

The country travelled over from the Pawnee village to Council Bluff 
or Bellevieu, as more recently called) is generally possessed of a rich, 
clayey soil, which is well adapted to cultivation. 

Large quantities of timber skirt the streams, that include all the varie- 
ties found in the States. The landscape is beautifully undulating, and, at 
the time of our passing it, was covered with a luxuriant growth of vege- 
tation, (the grass being frequently waist high,) and ornamented by rare 
specimens of wild flowers. 

The Pawnees, Ottoes, and Omahas possess the whole extent of this ter- 
ritory, which embraces much valuable land within its limits. That north 
of die river and adjacent to Bellevieu is owned by the Pottowatomies, who 
%bo claim to Uie boundary between Iowa and Missouri. 



imsxpicTBD BwcoTjirrsB. JOS 

The Kickapoos, lowas, Sacs, and Foxes occupy the country south of the 
Missouri, from the mouth of the Platte to Fort Leavenworth. 

All of this interval possesses a fertile soil, is well watered and passably 
well timbered. A more particular description of it, however, does not prop- 
erly come within the limits of this work. 

Upon my arrival at Independence, affairs were in a rather confused state. 
Times were hard and all kinds of » business at their lowest ebb. The com- 
pany for which I had acted had become bankrupt, and left me a loser to no 
mconsiderable amount. But, notwithstanding this unfavorable aspect of 
things, I decided upon retui-ning to the Moimtains for the purpose of visit- 
ing the different regions adjacent to them. 

Acting upon this resolution, I expended the means at my immediate com- 
mand for the procurement of an outfit ; — and the beginning of August saw 
me again en route, accompanied by two experienced mountaineers — all of 
us mounted upon hardy mules and well provided for the journey before us. 

The first four or five days subsequent, our progress was much impeded 
by successive rains, that rendered the road muddy and om-selves uncom- 
fortable. We were necessitated to raft the Wakarousha, and the Kansas 
was so swollen it was forded with great difficulty, — the water frequently 
covering the backs of our animals. 

From that onward we enjoyed pleasant weather and journeyed without 
further interruption ; — nothing occurred worth note, tiU we reached the 
Pawnee range, near the head of Big Blue. 

One morning, while travelling along unconcernedly and at our leisure, 
having as yet observed nothing to excite our apprehensions, a Pawnee sud- 
denly made his appearance directly in front of us. 

Such a customer had we been aware of his proximity, would have been 
most carefully avoided, in a place so dangerous as this ; but, as he had first 
discovered us, it was now too late to give him the shp, and we accordingly 
permitted his appl-oach, greeting him in a friendly manner. 

He immediately informed us that the whole conntry was full of his peo- 
ple returning from their summer-hunt, and he invited us to accompany him 
to the village. This we dccKned, bemg unwilling to trust either him or 
his people. 

Observing several other " shaved heads " hurrying towards us from over 
tlie adjoining hills, we struck camp and prepai'ed for the expected rencoun- 
ter. Upon coining near, however, they appeared friendly and were most 
of them unai-med. Again we were m-ged to visit the village. 
. After waiting an hour or more, we resumed our course, still followed by 
the unwelcome visitors. A ride of scarcely a half mUe brought us to the 
top of a hill, and, to our surprise, j^laced us in the immediate precincts of 
the village, — too tar advanced for a retreat. 

The entire population was instantly in motion, and came crowding to- 
wards us upon eveiy side. Pushing boldly fonvard, we were received by 
the same kind-hearted old chief of whom I had occasion to speak in the 
preceding chapter. On recognizing me, I was welcomed with great cop- 
diahty, and we were forthwith conducted to his shantee and sumptuously 
entertained upon the choicest in his possession. 



204 JOURNEY IP SOUTH FORK PLATTB. 

Our camp-equipage and other articles were all safely disposed of, and 
notJiing conducive to our pleasure or comfort was left unattended to. DuT' 
ing our entire stay, we were beset with invitations to feasts which were 
prepared expressly for us by tliese hospitable villagers, who appeared dis- 
pleased whenever w^e declined their acceptance. 

The old chief brought forward his httle grandson to shake hands with 
us — remarking, that he would teach his chUdren Uke himself to love the 
Americans. 

A small sack filled with papers was then laid before me for perusal. 
They consisted of recommendations, speaking in very flattering terras of 
the bearer. Red Eagle, and belauding his kindness and liberality. Most 
willingly would I have complied with his request, and made "the paper 
talk " for him, but the means were not at hand. 

The kind-hearted old man presented us each a pair of moccasins 
and urged our stay till the next morning, — adding: '*Sorae of my men are 
bad, and my heart is sick for them. Should you go before sleep, they 
might follow and rob you. When the morrow's sun has newly risen above 
the prairie, they will have left their foot-prints in tlie homeward trail, and 
my v/hite brothers may pass unmolested. But, if you will not rest beneath 
the shade of the Red Eagle, wait till the day -king is low, then ride fast till 
the night is old, and tlius may you avoid the evil ones who would injure 
you." 

This advice seemed so reasonable, we consented to remain till late in the 
afternoon, when, driving up our animals, we made preparations to start. 

Every article belonging to us was faithfully returned by the old man, 
who ordered for us a present of buffalo meat. Several large pieces were 
accordingly brought by different individuals, of excellent quality, and in 
quantity more than we could well carry. 

This" was all a free girt,-r-no one even hinted at a compensation. Where 
will you find among civilized man generosity and hospitahty equal to this 7 

Willing to reward such exemplary conduct, we presented tlie liberal 
donors with a small supply of sugar, coffee, and tobacco ; and, to our host, 
we gave a knife and some other trifling articles, all of which he received 
with evident gratification. 

Biddmg the noble chieftain adieu, we pursued our course in accordance 
with his direction, — travelling nearly all night. 

Early the next morning we struck the Platte, and, in the afternoon, 
reached the point at which myself and others had abandoned our boats. 

On visiting the ciche made at that time, not a thing remained ; — it 
had been robbed by the Pawnees, in all probability, as the island was 
covered with the tracks of men and horses. But what afibrded still 
more conclusive evidence, was the site of a recent Pawnee encamp* 
ment within eome four hundred yards of the place. 

The next morning brought us to the bufialo range, and our fare waa oat 
of continued feasting from that onward. 

Three days subsequently we came to the forks of the Platte, and con- 
tinued up the south branch, with the design of proceeding to New Mezict 
hj way of Fort Lancaster. 



MEETING AGAIK. 20S 



Here we entered a stretch of territory not as yet brought before the read 
er'B notice. 

Passing on, a ride of between fifty and sixty miles brought us to d large 
grove of willows at the mouth of a sand-creek, where we remained the day 
following. 

The vicinity contained the relics of three or four Indian forts, con- 
structed of logs, — one or two of which were in an almost entire state of 
Preservation, and afforded a correct illustration of Indian military genius. 
!'heir forms were oval, and the roofage so complete, we were amply 
sheltered* in one of them from a heavy shower which fell during our stay. 

From this point (properly denominated Fort Grove) to the forks, the 
country is rather sterile and roUing, with the exception of the river bottoms, 
which, as usual, are possessed of a rich soil and vary in width from one to 
five miles. There is scarcely a tree, worth naming, upon either bank of 
the river for the whole extent. 

The expanse lying to the northward is quite broken and hilly, with some 
few pines and cedars at the heads of ravines. 

Previous to leaving Fort Grove I experienced an attack of the fever and 
ague, which recurred, at intervals of once in two days, until we reached 
Fort Lancaster. 

Resuming our journey, a ride of some ten miles brought us to the mouth 
of Pole creek, a large affluent of the right shore. This is a clear and 
handsome stream, running through a rich valley of considerable width. Iti 
entire course affords but very little timber, and the prairie upon either side 
is generally sandy and barren. 

Journeying on about seventy-five miles further, we came to a large stream 
called la Fouchett aux Castors, or Beaver Fork. 

This creek heads in the highlands between the Platte and Arkansas, and 
traces its course through a sandy country, varied by diminutive hills of 
clayey soil, for a distance of nearly two hundred miles. It presents man;^ 
beautiful bottoms of a rich vegetable mould, with here and there small clus- 
ters of timber. 

Some forty or fifty miles above Beaver creek, we crossed Bijou, anothei 
large affluent of the left shore. The water at the mouth of this stream was 
shallow, dispersing itself in several small channels, over a bed of gravel and 
quicksand, about four hundred yards wide, and enclosed by abrupt banks 
of clay and sand. 

For several miles above its junction with the Platte no timber appears ; 
but further on, many large groves relieve the eye, and invite the traveller to 
their shade, while broad meadows and rich bottoms, clothed with grass an 
flowers, cheer the beholder and delight his fancy. 

Aug. ZOth. A ride of ten or fifteen miles, from this point, brought ns toa 
camp of whites, in the employ of Bent and St. Vrain, occupying a small 
island in the Platte. They were gr.arding a quantity of robes with whicii 
they had attempted to descend the river, but were unable to proceed fiirthet 
on account of low water. 

I was much gratified at here meeting an old acquaintance, with wlioa I 
bad passed a portion of the previous winter upon White river 
18 



206 MEDICINE LODGE. 



The camp was under the direction of a half-breed, named Chabonard, 
who proved to be a gentleman of superior information. He had acquired a 
classic education and could converse quite fluently in German, Spanish, 
French, and English, as well as several Indian languages. His mind, also, 
was well stored with choice reading, and enriched by extensive travel and 
obser\'ation. Having visited most of the important places, both in Eng- 
land, France, and Germany, he knew how to turn his experience to good 
advantage. 

There was a quaint humor and shrewdness in his conversation, so garbed 
with intelligence and perspicuity, tiiat he at once insinuated hira^lf into 
fhe good graces of listeners, and commanded their admiration and respect. 

The country, between Fort Grove and Cabonard's camp, with the excep* 
tion of the river bottoms, (which were quite fertile and occupied an area, 
upon both banks, varying in vndth. from one hundred yards to five miles,) 
is slightly undulatmg, and presents two uniform characteristics, — one, a 
thin clayish loam upon a subtratum of sand and gravel, and the other a 
sandy surface, often entirely destitute of vegetation, save, perchance, a 
few scattering spires of coarse grass and a species of prickly burr. 

Various specimens of cacti are found m every direction, and prove a 
frequent source of vexation to the traveller. The landscape discloses a 
scene of dreary sterility, — more to be accounted for by the dryness of the 
climate than any natural defect in the soil. 

The river upon both sides is nearly destitute of timber, and v/e were 
frequently compelled to use bois de vache for cooking purposes. There is 
also a scarcity of rock, — ^though, in the neighborhood of Bijou, I observed 
a kind of grayish sandstone, exposed to view in the beds of ravines ; and, 
directly opposite Chabonard's camp, the action of the waters had formed a 
steep wall, some thirty or forty feet high, wliich disclosed a large bed of 
sandstone and slate, with earthy limestone. 

A few miles above Beaver Fork, we obtained a distinct view of the main 
ridge of the Rocky Mountains with the snowy summit of Long's Peak 
distant some sixty or sixty-five miles. They appeared Uke a pile of dark 
clouds just rising from tlie verge of the horizon, and could be identified only 
by their uniform and stationary position. 

From the time of first entering the bufialo range till we reached Bijou 
creek, our entire course was beset with dense masses of those animals, 
which covered the river bottoms and prairies in all directions, far as the 
eye could reach. Our usual practice was to kill one every day, and select 
from its carcase the choice portions so well known and highly appreciated 
by mountaineers ; and, calling to aid the varied modes of cooking peculiar 
to hunters, surely never did epicures fare better than we. 

A few miles above Beaver creek we passed the site of a recent Indian en- 
campment, where was yet standing the frame-work of a medicine lodge, 
erected by the Chyennes and Arapahos for tlie performance of their reli- 
gious rites and ceremonies. This was made of light poles, describing an 
amphitheatre with a diameter of some fifty feet. In form it was much like 
the oavihon of a circus, and of suihcient dimensions to contaiEi severa. 
Mudred individual*. 



SKETCH or THE CHYENNEa 107 

I shall take occasion in subsequent pages to speak of medicine-makingi 
and would refer the reader to that part for an explanation of the peculiaf 
purposes for which tie medicine lodge is constructed. 

The river at Chabonard's camp is reduced fully one half in width, com- 
pared with its size at the forks. The current is also clearer and more 
rapid. Its banks and islands are much better timbered, and its general ap- 
pearance indicates an approach to tlie mountains. 

About noon we bade farewell to our new friends, by wnom we had been 
kindly entertained, and resumed our journey, accompanied by my whilom 
companion and two others, — increasing our number to six. 

Towards sundown, coming to a small village of Chyennes, we passed the 
night in the lodge of a chief, called the Tall Soldier. Our host treated ua 
with much civihty, but in this he appeared actuated only by selfish motives, 
and with the sole view of extorting a more than fourfold equivalent by 
way of presents. 

We were also continually harassed by beggars from all quarters, and 
gladly availed ourselves of the first dawn of the ensuing morning to pass 
on, and thus escape their hnportunitiei. 

The Chyennes at this time occupy a portion of the Arapaho lands, bor^ 
dering upon the South Fork and its aJSluents. 

Some six or eight years since, they inhabited the country in the vicinity 
of the Chyenne and White rivers and the North Fork of Platte, firora whence 
they were driven by the hostile incursions of the Sioux, who now hold in 
quiet possession the whole of that territory. 

This tribe, in general appearance, dress, and habits, assimilates most of 
the mountain and prairie Indians, with the suagle exception, perhaps, of be- 
ing meaner than any other. They are certainly more saucy as beggara 
and impudent and daring as thieves, than any other I ever became acquainted 
with. 

Formerly they were a much better people, but the contaminating effects 
of intercourse with the whites have made a disposition, naturally bad, im- 
measurably worse. Contrary to Indian character in general, they are 
treacherous and unworthy of trust, at all times and in all places. 

Their history contains a small speck of romance, which may not prove 
altogether uninteresting to the curious. 

The Chyennes, at the present time, number about four hundred lodges, 
and claim some eight hundred warriors. The tribe is composed of two 
divisions, viz : the Chyennes and Gros Ventres, — both speakmg the same 
language and practismg the same designation of nationality, shown in 
Bundij transverse scars upon the left arm. 

Neither of these divisions know their origin, but tell the following curioiui 
itory of their first intercourse with each other. 

Many years since, the Chyennes, wliile travelling from a north country, 
discovered the Gros Ventres, who were also upon a journey. Aa osiuil 
among strange tribes, both parties rushed to the attack, and a bloody battle 
would undoubtedly have been the result, had it not been stayed by the mu- 
jul diicovexy of an identity of language. Upon this, hoatility at once gaT« 



SOS A BROKEN COMPAlVT. 



|lace to friendship, and the two parties negotiated an immodiate anion 
Sinee then they have been considered as one nation. 

What is most singular in tliis occurrence, neitlier the Groe Ventres nor 
Chyennes could trace any previous connection or intercourse with each 
Other, or knowledge of their individual existence. 

This tribe has made no advances in civilization, and most probably will 
m&ke none for many years to come. Their roving and unsettled habits 
Drove an obstacle, almost insuperable, to any efibrts tliat may be underta- 
ken for their improvement. 

They are generally accourited friendly to the whites, but friendshin like 
this is essentially of a dangerous character. 

Continuing our journey, the evening of Sept. 2d brought us to Fort 
Lancaster, after an interval of twenty-six days, during which we had 
travelled not far from seven hundred and twenty miles. 

Our route from Ciia-bvHiard's camp to this point, for the most part, led 
along the valley of the Platte, which resembled a garden in the splendor of 
its fields and die variety of its flowers. 

A ride of four or five miles took us across the dry bed of a largo land- 
creek, four or five hnndred yards wide, known as tlie Kuyawa. The banks 
of tills arroyo are very steep and high, disclosing, now and then, spreads of 
beautiful bottom lands with occasional groves of cottonwwid. At this 8ea« 
son of the year its watery are lost in the quicksand and gravel. 

We also passed the mout^is of three large affluents of the right bank 
of Plattej severally known as Crow creek, Cache a la Poudre, and Thomp- 
son's Fork. 

These creeks rise in the adjoining mountains, and, with the exception of 
Crov,' creek; trace their v/ay with clear and rapid currents, from two to 
three feet deep and sixty feet wide, over beds of sand and pebbles. Their 
valleys are broad, rich, and for the most part well timbered. 

Timber increases in quantity, upon tlie Platte and its aiHuents, as the 
traveller approaches the mountains, and the soil gradually loses that with 
ering aridity so characteristic of tfie grand pmirie. 

Tv.elve miles below Fort Lancaster we passed Fori George, a large 
trading post kept up by Bent and St. Vrain. Its size rather exceeds that of 
JFort Platte, previously described; it is built, however, after tlie same 
fasUion,-— as, in fact, are all the regular trading posts in the country. At 
thi» time, fifteen or twenty men were stationed there, under tlie command 
of Mr. Marsalina St. Vrain. 

Six miles further on, we came to a recently deserted post, which bad 
been occupied the previous winter and summer by Messrs Lock and Ran- 
dolph. 

One of our party, a whilom engage of tliis company, informed me of its 
principals' becoming bankrupt, through mismanagement and losses of various 
kinds; — he stated, Siat. in May last, their entire "cavalUard," consistmgol 
forty-five head of horses and mules, had been stolen by the Sioux Indians j 
this, in connection with otlier bad luck — together with the depreciated value 
of furs and peltries, the failure of a boat-load of robes to reach the 
States, the urgent demands of creditors, &lc.; had caused them to evacuate 
their post and quit the country. 



Rums, 209 



A short distance above this, at a point of timber occuppng a large bot- 
tom, had been the scene of a fatal duel the previous winter, between two 
whites by the names of Herring and Beer. On my &st arrival in the 
country I had become acquainted with both of the actors, and felt much in- 
terested in the details of the bloody aflair as related by one present at the 
time of its unfortunate occurrence. The difficulty between them related 
to a Mexican woman from Taos, — the wife of Herring. 

Backed by a number of personal friendg, and anxious to obtain the lady 
from her husband, the former had provoked a quarrel and used very insult* 
ing language to his antagonist. This was received with little or no reply 
but soon, however, resulted in a challenge which was promptly accepted. 

The prehminaries were arranged in confident expectation of killing Her- 
ring, who was considered a poor marksman, especially at an off-hand shot. 
,The weapons selected by Beer were rifles, the distance fifty yards, the man- 
ner off-hand, and the time of shooting between the word fire and tliree. 
/The two met, attended by their friends, at the time and place agreed upon, — 
at the word "^re," the ball of Beer's rifle was buried in a cottonwood a 
few inches above the head of his antagonist, — at the word "Z/iree" the con- 
tents of Herring's rifle found lodgement in the body of Beer, who fell and 
expired in a few minutes. 

Between this point and Fort Lancaster, I noticed the ruins of anothei 
trading post, much dilapidated in appearance, and nearly levelled with the 
ground. 

Passing along, I could not refrain from musing upon the frequent deeds 
of mischief and iniquity that had originated within them, in connection with 
, the infamous liquor traffic. Ah, thought I, were those bricks possessed of 
tongues, full many a tale of horror and guilt would they unfold, to stand 
the listener's " hair on end," and make his blood run cold ! But, lost m 
gilent unconsciousness, they refuse to ppeak the white man's shame 1 

18* 



210 



CHAPTER XX. 

Old acquaintances. — Indian murders.— Mode of travelling in a dangerous countiy.-*- 
Mexican traders. — Summary way of teaching manners. — Fort Lancaster and sur- 
rounding country. — Resume journey. — Cherry creek and connecting observations.— 
Sketch of the Arapalios, their country, character, &c. — Camp of free traders.— 
Blackfoot cam}). — Daugherty's creek. — Observations relative to the Divide. — Mex- 
ican cupidity.— Strange visitors. — Tlie lone travellers. — Arrive at the Arkansas. — 
General remarks.— -Curious specunens of cacti — Fontaine qui Bouit, or Natura. 
Soda-fountain. — Indian superstition. — Enchanting scenery. — Extraordmary wall cf 
sandstone. 

At Fort Lancaster I was gratified by meeting with several acquaintances 
of the previous winter, two of whom had been comrades during a part 
of my unfortunate and adventurous voyage down the Platte. 

My appearance created no Httle surprise and pleasure, on all sides. 
Queries of various kinds were industriously plied, relative to the latest 
news from the States, and also in reference to the miseries and hardships 
undergone during the interval of my absence. The dangers of our mode 
of travelling were freely expatiated upon, and numerous instances of recent 
Indian hostilities cited to prove our " fool daring." 

Among the latter was an outrage perpetrated by the Chyennes, only two 
weeks previous, in the murder of three white men, — one of whom was the 
oldest trapper in the mountains, and had been for some time engaged in tlie 
fur trade. 

The murderers had the impudence to ask a scalp-feast from the com- 
mandant of the Fort, according to custom in case of overcoming their ene- 
mies in battle ! The hair, however, being recognized as that of a white 
man, no feast was given. When accused of the murder, they apologized 
by saying the poor fellow was suffering greatly at the time from recent 
wounds, and they had killed him out of pity ! 

In our mode of travelling, we always used due precaution to avoid sur- 
prise and attack. This is easily done, while among buffalo, by noticing 
their movements, — as these animals invariably flee across the wind upon 
the approach of man, and neither Indians nor whites can traverse theii 
range without setting the whole country in motion. 

We observed another plan of caution by frequently ascending some emi 
nence, and scanning the wide expanse, far and near. 

Our general practice was to travel till night, and camp without fire in the 
open prairie, thus precluding the possibility of being discovered, even though 
in the immediate vjcinity of Indians. 

A party of three or four men can pass through a dangerous countiy and 
avoid coming in contact with enemies, provided they exercise a needful vigi- 
lance much more easily tlian one of larger numbers. With a large ccmipaiij 



MEXICANS IN THE MOUNTAINS. 2ll 



too much dependence is reposed in each other, which soon results in indi- 
vidual carelessness and neglect. Added to this, they arc apt to rely upon 
their numarical strength, and, forgetting this simple truism, that " caution is 
the parent of safety," rush into danger when tliey are least aw are of it. It 
thus occurs that large parties are more liable to surprise than smaller 
ones, and more fi-equently sufter losses from the depredations of prowling 
enemies. 

On the contrary, where but three or four individuals are travelling together, 
tney trust exclusively to their own personal vigilance. Keenly alive to 
every suspicious appearance, they seldom fail to discover the presence of 
danger without exposing themselves, and may avoid it by a timely retreat 
or change of course. 

There is little risk in an open prairie, m case an enemy is first seen by 
the party wishing to shun his presence ; — they have only to manceuvre in 
such a manner as to elude observation, (a thing not often difficult,) and all 
is safe. In subsequent travels through dangerous countries I have always 
acted upon these suggestions, and never yet found them to fail. 

Some twelve or fifteen Mexicans were at this time present at the Fort. 
They constituted a trading party from Taos, escorting a caravan of pack- 
horses and mules, laden with flour, corn, bread, beans, onions, dried 
pumpkin, salt, and pepper, to barter for robes, skins, furs, meat, moccasins, 
bows and arrows, ammunition, guns, cofTee, calico, cloth, tobacco, and old 
clothes, which were to compose their return freight. 

A worse looking set was here presented than that previously described 
in the second chapter of this volume. Some of them were as black as 
veritable negroes, and needed only the curly hair, thick lips, and flattened 
nose, to define the genuine Congo in appearance. A more miserable look- 
ing gang of filthy half-naked, ragamuffins, I never before witnessed. 

Their cargoes had already been disposed of at various prices, according 
to circumstances. Flour and meal were sold at from four to six dollars per 
fanega^ (one hundred and twenty pounds,) and other articles at like prices. 
Their first asking price was at tlie rate of twenty dollars \ier fanega\ but 
an afiray which occurred with a small party of Americans, immediately 
upon their arrival, had made IhQSQ produce merchants much more reasonablo 
in their demands. 

The particulars of the affair were rather disgraceful to both parties. 
The Americans, anxious to purchase a quantity of flour, offered to take it 
at the asking price, provided the Mexicans would receive their pay in robes 
^of a rather indiflTerent quality. This the latter refused and a dispute arose, 
when insulting language was used on both sides, coupled with threats ol 
mutual i.njury. 

The Mexicans retired a short distance and camped, — soon after the 
Americans, four in number, rushed among them and drove oif their entire 
cavauaid, containing twenty head of horses and mules. The Mexicans 
seized their arms for^resistance, and the commandanie advancing demanded 
of the nearest assailant : 

" Que quiere, cabeliero ?" (what do you want, sir ?) 

"Yoteuga lo caballardo, — porque dicirmeesta?" (I have your horses,- 
why do you ask 7) 



aifl FORT LANCASTER, ETC. 

" Carraho, Americana I" said trie Mexican* levelling his gun at the speaker. 
In an instant a pistol-shot from the latter laid him prostrate, — the ball en- 
tering his chest near the heart. No further resistance was offered, and the 
assailants retired with their booty. 

The next morning, however, they returned, and the two parties com- 
promised the matter by certain conciliatory arrangements, which resulted in 
the Americans giving up the captured animals, on condition that the Mexi- 
cans should in future be less insolent and conduct their trade on more 
reasonable terms. 

The wounded man recovered in three or four weeks, and was now ready 
to accompany liis party on their homeward-bound journey. 

A large number of Mexicans are employed at tlie different trading posts 
in this vicinity. They prove quite useful as horse-guards, and also in 
taking care of cattle and doing the drudgery connected with these estab- 
lishments. 

Their wages vary from four to ten dollars per month, which they receive 
in articles of traffic at an exiiorbitant price ; — viz : calicoes, (indifferent 
quality,) from fifty cents to one dollar per yard; blue cloth, from live to ten 
dollars per do. ; powder, two dohars per lb. ; lead, one do. do. ; coffee, one 
do. do. ; tobacco, from two to three do. do. ; second hand robes, two dollars 
apiece, — and everything else in proportion. 

Their wages for a wbole year, in actual value, bring them but a trifling 
and almost nameless consideration. Notwithstanding, these miserable 
creatures prefer travelling four hundred miles to hire for such diminutive 
wages, rather than to remain in their own country and work for less. 
They knov/ of no better way to get a living, and are, therefore, happy in 
their ignorance, and contentedly drag out a vyretched existence as best they 
may. 

After a period of service they generally return home laden with the pal- 
try proceeds of their toil, and, yielding to the impulses of custom, a single 
fandango is sufficient to leave them penniless like the squalid crowd with 
whom they mingle. 

A week's stay at tlie Fort restored me to health and soundness from the 
debilitating effects of the fever and ague, without a resort to medicine. 
This disease (the first and only attack of which I ever experienced) had 
made fearful inroads upon my strength during the shoil intervai of its con- 
tinuance, and rendered rne unfit for travelling ; — but, a change of chmate 
and the inlialation of the pure mountam air effected a permanent and speedy 
cure, in a much less time than I had reason to expect. 

Fort Lancaster occupies a pleasant site upon the south bank of th<^ Platte 
nver, about nine hundred miies from its mouth, and seven hundred an* 
twenty from Independence, in lat. 40^ 12' 25'' north, long. 106° 53' 11" 
west from Greenwich. The distance from this point to the dividing ridge 
of the Rocky Mountains is about thirty-five miles, and from Taos, in Nev 
Mexico, between three and four hundred miJes. 

Long's Peak with its eternal snow appears in distinct view to the west 
ward, and imparts to the sunset scenery a beauty and grandeur rarely wit 
nessed in any country. This peak is one of the highest of the mountaii 
nuQge, being upwards of 13^600 feet above the level of the Guj^f of M^xioo^ 



SKFTCH OF THE ARAPAHOS. 218 

and iesues from its eastern side the waters ol the Atlantic, and from iti 
western the tnbutaries of the Pacific. 

Between the mountains and the Fort, the prairie is generally level, though 
slightly undulating in places ; — it is possessed of a tolerable soil, composed 
of clay and gravel, ever and anon spreading before tlie traveller rich vait 
leys, decked with sweet flowers and hisiy herbage. 

The country eastward is rolling, sandy, and sterile ; and, with few ex 
ceptions, presents little to attract the eye or please the fancy. 

The Platte bottoms, above and below, are quite heavily timoered and af 
ford an abundance of grass of various kinds. The soil is ol a black-, docv 
loam, very rich and well adapted to cultivation. 

I'^ie business transacted at this post is chiefly with the Chyennes, but 
the Arapahos, Mexicans, and Soux also come in for a large share, :inc 
contribute to render it one of the most profitable trading establishments in 
the country. 

Sept. \Oih. Arrangements being completed for resuming my journey* 
I left Fort Lancaster in company with four others, intending to proceed as 
far as Taos in New Mexico. We were all mounted upon stout horses, and 
provided with two pack-mules for the conveyance of baggage and provi- 
sions. 

Following the trail leading from the Platte to the Arkansas, or Rio Na- 
■peste, we continued our way some thirty-five miles, and halted with a camp 
of free traders and hunters, on Cherry creek. 

This stream is an affluent of the Platte, from the southeast, heading in a 
broad ridge of pine hills and rocks, known as the " Divide." It pursues its 
course lor nearly s'xty miles, through a broad valley of rich soii, tolerably 
well timbered, and shut in for the most part by high plats of table land, — 
at intervals tliickly studded with lateral pines, cedars, oaks, and shrubs of 
various kinds, — gradually expanding its banks as it proceeds, and exchang- 
ing a bed of rock and pebbles for one of quicksand and gravel, till it finally 
attains a width of nearly two hundred yards, and in places is ahnost lost in 
the sand. The stream derives its name from the abundance of cherry found 
upon it. 

The ccuntry passed over from the Fort to this place, is generally sandy, 
but yields quite a generous growtn of grass. We passed, in our course, 
the dry beds of two transient creeks, one eight, and tlie other fifteen miles 
from the Fort. 

Our route bore nearly due south for twenty miles, following the Platte 
bottom to the mouth of Cherry creek, thence southeast, continuing up the 
valley of the latter. The Platte presented heavy groves of timber upcn botii 
banks, as did also its islands, while its bottoms appeared fertile. 

The mountains, some fifteen miles to our right, towering- aloft with their 
snow-capped summits and dark frowning sides, looked like vast piles of 
clouds, big with storm and heaped upon the lap of earth ; while tlie vapor- 
scuds that flitted around them, seemed as the ministers of pent up wrath, in 
readiness tc pour forth their torrents and deluge the surroundiiig plains, or 
let loose the fierce tornado and strew its path with desolation. 

Three or four miles before reaching our present camp, we passed a vil- 
lage of the Arapahos on itfl way to the mountainsi, in pursuit of ^pjxn 



ai4 FREE ITtADERSL 

With this the reader is introduced to that nation for the first time, which 
affords me occasion to speak of them more particularly. 

The Arapahos are a tribe of prairie Indians, inhabiting the country bor- 
dering upon the South Fork of tlie Platte and Arkansas rivers. 

Their territory embraces an extent of about f'^rty-five thousand square 
miles, a portion of which is well watered and interspersed with numerous 
fertile spots. Timber is rarely found, except in the creek bottoms and 
among the mountains. A large section of it, however, is dry, sandy, and 
sterile, and almost entirely timberless and destitute of water, l^he game 
of these regions includes all the varieties common to the mountains, which 
are quite abundant. The territory also possesses large mineral resources, 
and includes among its stores of hidden wealth, gold, silver, copper, lead, 
iron, coal, soda, nitre, salt, and sulpher, with vast beds of gypsum. 

This nation boasts some five hundred and twenty-tive lodges, numbering 
not far from four thousand souls. In appearance, as well as manners and 
customs, they assimilate the Sioux and Chyennes. Their insignia of na- 
tionality is a tattooed breast, by v/hich they are distinguished from neigh- 
boring tribes. They afTord to the observer the rare instance of increasing 
numbers in an Indian population. 

The Arapahos since their first treaty with tiie whites, some fifteen years 
ago, have maintained terms of the strictest friendship on their part. They 
have never been known to kill or even injure a white man in the interval, 
and rarely to steal from him any article of value. They seem to take pleas- 
ure in the bestowm.ent of kindness and hospitality upon such whenever in 
their power, but commonly in expectation of reward, and are exceedingly 
annoying as beggars. 

These Indians, though brave, are less warlike than contiguous tribes, — 
being at variance only with the Utahs and Pawnees, whose countries are 
severally invaded as occasion serves, and often with success. 

They possess considerable taste for trafficing, and regularly meet the 
Sioux, Chyennes, Cumanches, and Kuyawas for that purpose, and many 
of them know how to drive as good a bargain as the most expert Yankee. 

Notwithstanding the many good qualities possessed by them, they are in- 
ferior to their neighbors in morality. The Sioux and Chyennes are far 
more chaste, and never indulge in the low practices common with the Arap- 
ahos. Virtue with the former is guarded by the strictest vigilance and 
je&lousy, while with the latter it is made the minister of lust and is prosti- 
tuted for a paltry bribe. 

As yet no effort has been made for their improvement, though I regard them 
as more susceptible of civilization than any other of the prairie tribes. They 
appear to be great admirers of the mannors, customs, arts, and mode of liv- 
ing prevalent among the whites, and only lack the requisite instruction to 
become their successful imitators. 

The camp at which we are at present located consists of four lodges,— 
three of whites, and one of Black foot Indians. 

Each of the whites lias his squaw wife, and the usual accompaniment of 
ruddy faced children. In regard U.) the latter, I must say thoy were more 
beautiful, interesting, and intelligent than the same number of full-bloodu,— ■ 
aither of whites or Indians. 




BLACKrOOT CHIEF. -P«^« 214. 



BEARS. 21 



These men were living after the fashion of their new-found relatives, and 
leemed to enjoy themselves as well as circumstances would admit They 
had a number of horses, with the requisite supply of arms and ammunition,— 
the sure sources of wealth and comfort in a countr}' abounding with game. 

The Indian family were relatives by marriage, and were one of snme fif- 
teen lodges of Blackfeet among the Arapahos, who forsook tiieir own na- 
tion, on account of its uncompromising hostility to the whites. Quite a 
number of these Indians have also joined the Sioux and Nesperces, for a 
like reason. 

We were entertained very kindly by our new friends who spared no effort 
to render our stay agreeable. Atnong the delicacies set before us, was 
one deserving of notice, — it consisted of the fruit of prickly pears (cacti) 
boiled in water for some ten or twelve hours till it became perfectly soil, 
when it was compressed through a thin cloth into the fluid in wliich it had 
been boiled. This forms a delicious variety in mountain fare, and one highly 
stimulating and nutritious. Sj^ 

The immense quantities of cadi fruit found near the luountains, at the 
proper season, render the above an entertainment not uncommon. 

Sept. IBth. Again under way ; after a ride of fifteen miles, night finds ua 
at Blackfoot-camp, snugly chambered in d spacious cave, to avoid the disa- 
greeable effects of a snow-storm that comes upon the reluctant pmrie with 
all the withering keenness of winter. 

The cave affording us shelter is formed in an abrupt embankment of lime- 
stone, that marks the eastern limits of a beautiful valley through which a 
small affluent of Cherry creek traces its v/ay. The floor is of dry gravel 
and rock, about fifty feet long by fifteen wide, while upon one side a crystal 
spring presents its tempting draughts. Thus chambered, a small fire soon 
rendered ua comfortable and happy, notwithstanding the dreary weather 
without. 

Our course during the day bore southward, and led from the valley of 
Cherry creek to an interesting plateau, furrowed at intervals by deep caa- 
ons, enclosing broad bottoms of rich alluvion, and ridged upon either hand 
by high hill^ of pine and ledges of naked rock. 

The streams are generally timberless, — the soil of the highlands is of a 
red, clayey mould, and quite fertile. Instead of the aridity incident to the 
neighboring prairies, it is usually humid. 

The country hereabouts, for an extent of upwards one thousand square 
miles, is much subject to storms of rain, hail, snow, and wind, — and it is 
rarely a person can pass through it without being caught by a storm of 
some kind. I can account for this in no other way than by supposing it 
has some connection with the vast quantities of minerals lying embedded in 
its hills and valleys. 



Sept. 14th. Morning was ushered in with a pleasant sunshine, that i 
caused the snow of the past night to yield beneath its melting influences. 

When on the point of raising camp, an old grizzly bear made her appear- 
ance with three cubs. An effort to approach her proved futile, — she, hay- 
ing snuffed the closeness of danger with the breeze, made a hasty reti'Ml 
with her offspring. 
19 



fli KIGHT TISITOM. 

I allude to the above incident for this reason, that it is generally rappoft k 
the bear produces but two at a birth. 

Continuing our journey till late at night, we reached an affluent of Fo»- 
taine qui Bouit, called Daugherty's creek, after travelling a distance of 
■ome thirty miles. Here we remained for three or four days, to procure a 
further supply of provisions. 

The route from Blackfoot-camp, for the most part, led over a rough 
country, interspersed with high piny ridges and beautiful valleys, sustain- 
ing a luxuriant growth of vegetation, which is known as the Divide. 

This romantic region gives rise to several large tributaries both of the 
Platte and Arkansas, and furnishes the main branches of the Kansas. Its 
geological classifications consist of sandstone, limestone, granite, and cre- 
taceous rock. Large quantities of silex are also found, together with 
many interesting specimens of petrifaction that principally consist of pine 
wood ; these, in many cases, exhibit the tree in its perfect shape, with all 
the grains and pores, that marked its growth. 

A ride of three hours took us past the heads of Bijou and Kuyawa, 
whose clear and swift currents, confined to narrow beds, here presented a 
■triking contrast to those remarked at their confluence with the Platte. 

Continuing on a few miles, we reached Black Squirrel creek, an affluent 
of the Arkansas ; and from thence, after a brisk trot for some fourteen 
miles over a nearly level prairie, we came to our present camp. 

Our place of stay was in sweet little valley enclosed by piny ridges. 
The entrance leading to it is through a defile of hills from whose rugged 
■ides protrude vast piles of rock, that afford a pass of only fifty or a hun- 
dred yards in width. An abundance of grass greets the eye, arrayed in 
the loveliness of summer's verdancy, and blooming wild-flowers nod to the 
breeze as enchantingly as when the fostering hand of spring first awoke 
them to life and to beauty. 

The creek derives its name from Daugherty, a trader who was murder- 
ed upon it several years since. At the time he was on his way to the Ar- 
kansas with a quantity of goods, accompanied by a Mexican. The latter, 
anxious to procure a few yards of calico that constituted a part of the 
freight, shot him in cold blood, and hastened to Taos with his ill-gotten 
gains, where he unblushingly boasted of his inhuman achievement. 

My excursions among the hills brought before me many interesting 
geological specimens, mostly such as characterize the Divide. I noticed 
two or three extensive beds of stone coal in the vicinity of the creek, with 
an abundance of nitre and other mmeral salts. 

Having killed three fine cows during the five days we remained at thii 
place, the scent of fresh meat attracted an old bear and her cub, which, in 
the expectation of a choice repast, were induced to pay us a night visit. 

We were quietly reposing at the time, nor dreamed of the ungainly 
monsters withm camp, till their harsh growls grated upon our ears and 
raised us each to a speedy consciousness. Instantly every rifle was 
denched and levelled at the unwelcome intruders, and two discharges 
bespoke their warm reception. The bears, not fancying this new test 
«f mendship, quickly withdrew and permitted us to resume our slumbera. 

Fitxpatrick and Van Dusen, two old mountaineers, passed our ea* 



SODA SPRING. *1» 



eampment, in the interim, on their way to the States. Having devoted a 
numoer of years to the business of trapping, fev/ possess a more intimate 
knowledge of this country than they. The former of tliese gentlemen was 
on his return from Oregon with dispatches for the U. S. Government, and 
had acted as pilot for a party of emigrants to that territory during the pre- 
?ious summer. After conducting his charge to their place of destination, 
he and his companion had travelled thus far alone,* — a distance of more 
than one thousand miles. 

Sept. 19th. Leaving Daugherty's creek we resumed our course, and 
reached the Arkansas the next day, about noon. Here we encamped in a 
small grove of cottonwood upon the right bank, a fiew miles above the 
mouth of Fontaine qui Bouit. 

In gaining this point we travelled some forty-five miles, mostly over a 
sandy prairie, slightly undulating to the leftward, but, to the right, descri 
bing the waves of a tempest-tossed ocean. 

Its general character is sterility ; tlie grass gowing thinly and being of a 
coarse kind, with the exception of that of the creek bottoms, which aflfords 
several varieties of a lusty size, mingled with occasional spreads of prele — 
a choice article for the subsistence of horses and mules. 

In passing along, I observed a new species of the cacti family, that grew 
in a shurb-like form to a height of five or six feet. Its stalk was round 
and fully an inch in diameter. 

This made the fourth variety of cactus noticed during the past few days. 
Of tliese, two resemble the common " prickly pear " in their appearance. 
Another species, however, was egg-shaped, bearing a fruit much like the 
cranberry in color and form. At the proper season, it also produces a beau- 
tiful red flower, that emits a most agreeable perfume, in some measure 
atoning for its dreaded intrusion upon the path of the wayfarer. 

Fontaine qui Bouit, or the Boiling Fountain, is the name bestowed upon 
a considerable stream that heads under Pike's Peak, in lat. 38'^ 52' 10" 
north, long. 105°'22' 45'' west from Greenwich, and pursues a southerly 
course till it unites with the Arkansas. 

This name is derived from two singular springs, situated within a few 
yards of each other at the creek's head, both of which emit water in the 
form of vapor, accompanied with a hissing noise — the one strongly impreg^ 
uated with sulphur and the other with sodi.f 



* Before reaching the States, however, he was robbed of everything in Ids ^ 
•ion by a war-party of Pawnees, whom he had hnprudently sutlered to obtain tha 
advantage. He would, doubtless, have been killed had it not been for the deteimined 
courage of Van Dusen. The latter, seizing his rifle, levelled it at the foremost and 
thus deterred a farther advance ; then, by an adroit movement, breaking from 
them, set pursuit at defiance throuj^h his fleetness of foot. 

The Pawnees, noAv well aware that fiirther outrages would be made luiown and 
become a subject of investigation by the U. S. Government, forbore their designs, 
and returned to Fitzpatrick liis gun and one nude, with Vv'hich he accomplislied tha 
remainder of his journey alone. Van Dusen, having succeeded in reaching Beut'« 
Fort on the Arkansas, reported his companion as killed by them. 

t Capt. Fremont, who visited Fontaine qui Bouit in the summer of '43, has fumuiik 
•d tha following analysis of an iucrustation with which the water of tins spring hHLl 



220 A LOTELY TALURT 

The soda water is fully as good as any manufactured for espp.nial use 
and sparkles and foams with equal eflervescence. This spring, though at 
present cool, is said to have been formerly quite the reveig*?. Some twen 
ty years since, the heat was sufficient to cook fiesh in an haif hour's time, 
if submerged in its waters. 

The Arapahos regard this phenomenon with awe, and venorate it as the 
manifestation of the immediate presence of tlie Great Spirit, They call it 
the Medicine Foumain, and seldom neglect to bestow their frifts upon it 
whenever an opportunity is presented. 

These offerings generally consist of robes, blankets, arrows, bows. 
jmives, beads, moccasins, &.C., which they eit/ier throw into the witer oi 
oang upon the surrounding trees. Sometimes a whole village will visit 
the place for the purpose of paying their united regard t;> tliis sacred 
fountain. 

The seceiiery of the vicinity is truly magnificent. A valley several 
yards in width heads at the springs, overloolSng which from the west in 
almost perpendicular ascent tower the lofty summits of I^ike's Peak, piercing 
the clouds and revelling in eternal snow, at an altitude of 12,500 feet 
above the level of the sea. 

This valley opens eastward, and is walled in upon the right and left, at 
the mountains' base, by a stretch of high table land, surmounted by oaks 
end stately pines, with now and then an interval displaying a luxuriant 
coating of gross. The soil is a reddish loam, and very ricli. The trees 
which skirt tiie creek as it traces its way from the fountain aie generally 
l?ee from under-brush, and show almost as much regularity of pi sition as 
If planted by the hand of art. A lusty growth of vegetation is sustained 
&mong them to tlieir very trunks, which is garnished by wild flowers, tliat, 
CiUring the summer months, invest the whole scene with an onchantraeni 
|;aciiliar to itself. 

The climate too is far milder in this than in adjoining regions, even of 
% more southern latitude. 'Tis here " summer first unfolds her rcbes, and 
•^re tlie longest tarries." The grass, continuing green the entire winter, 
feere first feels the genial touch of spring. Snow seldom remain? upon the 
gromid to exceed a single day, even in tlie severest weather, while the 
Sieighboring hills and prairies present their white mantlings for v/eeks in 
iuccession. 

A« the creek emerges from the mountains, it increases in size by the ac- 
cession of several tributaries, and the valley also expands to a width of 

eovered a piece of wood ; and, though probably not a fair test, it will afford ♦h* 

readeir some idea of ita mineral properties : 

Carbonate of lime ■ • • • • • W, 25 

Carbonate of mai^esia ^ • • • • 1, 21 

Snlpliate of lime 1 

Chloride of calcium S . . , . - 83 

Chloride of raAffnena i 

Siliea 1» M 

V«ntable mfOter ...... 90 

MflMon and km • • 4, 61 

100, W 



ncnflTY OF THE ARKANSAfl. Ml 

fliiee or four mUes, retaining for a considerable distance th« distinguiihing 
tTa\ts before described. 

The vicinity affords an abundance of game, among which are deer, 
aheep, bear, antelope, elk, and buffalo, togetlier with turkeys, geese, ducks, 
grome, mountain-fowls, and rabbits. 

Aflbrding, as it does, such magnificent and delightful scenery; such 
rich scores for the supply of human wants, both to please the taste and en 
raptui^ the heart : so heaven-like in its appearance and character, it ia no 
wonde? the untaught savage reveres it as the place wherein tlie Good 
Spirit delights to dwell, and hastens with his free-will oflerings to the 
•trange fountain, in the full belief tliat its bubbling waters are the more 
immedia\e impersonation of Him whom he adores. 

But, there are other scenes adjoining tliis, that demand a passing notice. 
A few miles above Fontaine qui Bouit, and running parallel with the east- 
em base o( the mountain range, several hundred yards removed from 
it, a wall of coarse, rcd granite (quite friable and constantly abrading) 
towers to a vajied height of from fifty to three hundred feet. 

This wall is formed of immense strata, planted vertically and not ex- 
ceeding eight feet in thickness, with frequent openings — so arranged as to 
describe a complete line. 

The soil in which they appear is of a reddish loam, almost entirely des- 
titute of other rock, even to their very base. 

This mural tier ia isolated, and occupies its prairie site in silent majesty. 
as if to guard the approaches to the stupendous monuments of nature's 
handiwork that form the back-ground, disclosing itself to the beholder for 
a distance of more than thirty miles. 



CHAPTER X\J. 



Vicinity of the Arkaniaa. — Settlement.— The Piiebio.— Rio San Carlos, ite valleya 
and scenery. — Shooting by moonlight. — Taos. — Review of the country travelled 
over. — ^Tao8 ; its vicinity, scenery, and mines. — Rancbos and Rancheros. — Mexi- 
can houses ; their domestic economy, and filth. — Abject poverty and deplorable 
condition of the lower classes of Mexicans, with a general review of their char 
acter, and some of the causes contributing to their present degradation.— The Pue 
bio Indians and their strange notion.s. — Ancient temple. — Character of the Pueblos 
—Journey to the Uintah river, and observations by the way.— Taos Utahe, Pa- 
utahs, Uintah and Lake Utahs. —The Diggers; misery of their situation, stra-ige 
mode of Uving, with a sketch of their character.— The Navijos ; their civiUzation, 
koetillty to Spaniards, ludicrous barbarity, bravery, &c., with a sketch of their 
country, and why they are less favorable to the whites than formerly. 

Thb Arkansas at tliis point is a clear and beautiful stream, about one 

hundred and fifty yards wide. It flows over a bed of rock and pebbles, 

with a rapid current, averaging two feet in depth. Its soutiiern bank is 

steep and inducts to a high sandy prairie, which present a somewoat et^- 

19* 



222 THB KIO BAi« CARLOS. 



ile and denuded appearance. The northern shore affords a wide bottoir of 
black loam, generally fertile, and timbered with occasional groves of cot« 
ton wood. Beyond this a high undulating prairie, presenting now and then 
a cluster of pines and cedars, leads off to the neighboring mountains. 

The river above, for a distance of some forty miles, possesses many 
beautiful valleys, well timbered, and a rich soil, until the traveller irrives 
at the place where it makes its entree from the lofty mountain chain in 
which it heads. 

The land indicates a fitness for agricultural purposes, and hjlds out 
strong inducements to emigrants. A small settlement of wtites and 
half-breeds, numbering fifteen or twenty families, has already been com- 
menced about thirty miles above the mouth of Fontaine qui Bouit under 
qaite favorable auspicies. The only fears entertained for its siicccfes, are 
on account of the Indians, 

Many other localities in this vicinity are equally inviting vera it not for 
the character and habits of the surrounding natives. 

At the delta, formed by the junction of Fontaine qui Bouit with the 
Arkansas, a trading fort, called the Pueblo, was built durmg tlie summer 
of 1642. Tills post is owned by a company of independent traders, on 
the common property system ; and, from its situatioc, can command a 
profitable tiade witli both Mexicans and Indians, Its occupants number 
ten or twelve Americans, most of whom are married to Mexican women, 
while everything about the establishment wears the aspect of neatness 
and comfort 

SefU 22d. Crossing the Arkansas, I for the first time set foot upon 
Mexican soil. 

Taking the Taos trail, we continued our way for ten or twelve miles 
and came to the Rio San Carlos. Here the abundance of deer and tur* 
keys was too great a temptation to be resisted, and we remained several 
days to bestow upon them that attention our appetites demanded. 

The country adjacent is very romantic and beautiful. The hills, en 
closing the valley of the San Carlos upon botli sides, are high and preci- 
nitous, — affording numerous groves of pine, pinion,* and cedar. Inter- 
spersed among them are frequent openings and prairillons of rich soil 
and luxuriant vegetation. The valley is narrow, but fertile and well 
timbered. 

Near the head of the river is a broad area, known as Fisher's-hole, bound 
ed upon all sides by rugged hills and mountains, inaccessible except by 
a circuitous pass leading into it from the south. The stream forces its 
egress through a ledge of dark-colored rock, several hundred feet in alti- 
tude, leaving vertical walls upon each side for a long distance, that fr^ 
quently o^ erhang the gurgling waters sweeping at their base. 

♦ Tlds tree is a sixjcies of pine, quite common in New Mexico, California, and 
»ome parts of the ranuntains. It yields a kind of nut similar to that of the beech, 
wluch is esteemed as an article of food. Wild turkeys dehght to frequent grovM of 
lhi« timber, and will thrive in an extraordinary manner upon pinion-nuts. 



TAOS AND ITS VICINTIT. 223 

This valley contains more than a thousand acres of choice land, well 
supplied with timber from the heavy pine forests surrounding it. 

The prevailing rock is granite, sandstone, limestone, and lias, with 
occasional conglomerates of various kinds. I noticed strong indications 
of copper and other minerals ; and the general appearance of the coun- 
try led me to conclude it to be one possessed of vast stores of hidden 
wealth. 

While here, we were quite successful in replenishing our stock of 
provisions. 

My experiments in turkey-hunting made me a proficient shot by moon, 
light, a feat which adds materially to the sport. This is done by manoeu- 
vring so as to have the turkey in a direct line between the marksman 
and the moon, causing its shadow to fall upon his face, — then, raising his 
rifle to a level from the ground upwards, the instant the sight becomes 
darkened he fires, and, if his piece be true, seldom fails to make a centre 
shot. 

The most feasible mode of hunting turkeys is to watch their roostino' 
places at night ; and, after the moon attains the required position, they 
may be killed by dozens in tho above manner. They rarely leave theii 
roosts on account of the firing ; but remain, half stupified with afiright, 
while they are picked off one after another by the practised hunter. 

Sept. 26i/i. Again resuming our journey, we reached Taos on the Is' 
of October. 

Our stay at this place was prolonged for several days, during which 
time we took boarding with a Mexican lady, the widow of an American 
trader. 

The country travelled over en route, from the San Carlos to Taos is 
very rough and mountainous, but variegated by many fertile valleys 
skirting the numerous tributaries of the Arkansas and del Norte. 

The trail crosses several of the latter streams, for the most part bear- 
ing an easterly course ; among which are the Cornua Virda, Huaquetore, 
Timpa, Apache, and Piscliepa. 

These creeks frequently pass through deep canons of sandstone and 
limestone for a distance of several miles together, — disclosing upon all 
sides a wild and romantic scenery. The great fault with the valleys is 
a lack of timber ; the hills, however, are generally supplied with pine 
pinion, and cedar, which, in a measure, atones for the above deficiency. 

-On leaving the Pischepa, a reach of little more than one Jornada (day's 
travel) leads over the mountain range, separating the waters of the A' 
kansas and del Norte, at a point bearing a short distance to the left of 
two famous landmarks, called the Spanish Peaks. 

Here the traveller is at once ushered into the valley of Taos ; and. 
continuing on, in a brief interval finds himself surrounded by a clan of 
half-naked Mexicans. 

Taos proper embraces several fertile lateral valleys bordering lapoE 
the del Norte, and three small affluents from the east and is supposed 
to contain a population of some ten thousand, including Indians, Moor* 
Half-breeds, Mulattoes, and Spaniards. It is divided into several pro 



2»i ^ MEXICAI< HOUSES. 



cinti, or neighborhoods, within short distances of each other, among 
which Arroyo Hondo is the principal. 

This section of country is very romantic, and affords many scenes to 
excite the admiration of beholders. It is shut in by lofly mountains, 
upon three sides, that tower to an altitude of several uiousand feet, now 
presenting their pine-clad summits among the clouds, now with denu- 
ded crests defying the tempest ; and then peering skyward to hold con- 
verse with the scathing blasts of unending winter. 

The mountains are rich in minerals of various kinds. Gold is found in 
considerable qui ntities in their vicinity, and would doubtless yield a large 
profit to diggers, were they possessed of the requisite enterprise and 
capital. At present tliese valuable mines are almost entirely neglected 
— the common people being too ignorant and poor to work them, and 
the rich too ijidoient and fond of ease. 

The Mexicans possess large raiichos of sheep, horses, mules, and cat- 
tle among the mountains, which are kept there the entire year, by a 
degraded set of beings, following no business but that of herdsmen, 
or rancheros. 

This class of people have no loftier aspirations than to throw the 
lasso with dexterity, and break wild mules and horses. 

They have scarcely an idea of any other place than the little circle in 
which they move, nor dream of a more happy state of existence than their 
own. Halt-naked and scantily fed, they are contented with the miserable 
pittance doled out to them by the proud lordlings they serve, while their 
wild songs merrily echo through the hills as they pursue their ceaseless 
vocations till deatJi drops his dark curtain o'er the scene. 

There are no people on the continent of America, whether civilized or 
uncivilized, with one or two exceptions, more miserable in condition or des- 
picable in morals than the mongrel race inhabiting New Mexico. In say- 
ing this, I deal in generalities ; but were I to particularize the observation 
would hold good in a large majority of cases. 

Next to the squalid appearance of its inhabitants, the first thing that 
arrests the attention of the traveller on entering an Mexican settlement, is 
the uninviting mud walls that form the rude hovels which constitute its 
dweUings. 

These are one story high and built of adobteSy with small windows, (like 
the port-holes of a fortification,) generally witliout glass. The entrance is 
by an opening in the side, very low, and frequently unprotected by a door. 
The roof is a terrace of sod, reposing upon a layer of email logs, affording 
but poor protection from the weather. 

The interior presents an aspect quite as forbidding ; — the floors are sim- 
ply the naked grouijd, — chairs and tables are articles rarely met with. In 
case of an extra room, it is partitioned off by a thin wall of mud, commu- 
nicating with its neighbor through a small window-shaped aperture, and 
serves the double purpose of a chamber and store-house. 

A few rags, tattered blankets, or old robes, furnish beds for its inmates, 
who, at nightfall, stow themselves away promiscuously upon the ground 
or in narrow bins, and snooze their rounds despite the swarms of noxious 
▼tnnin that infest them, (companions from which tliey are aeldom £reo; 



ABJECT CONDITION OF MEXICAliS. 226 

whether sleeping or waking, — and afford them, perhaps, in greater nnmbet 
and variety of species than any other known people.) 

But, before the picture is complete, we must be indulged in a brief sketch 
of their kitchen economy. 

Knives, forks, spoons, and plates, seldom grace the board of a Mexican 
in common circumstances. A single pot of earth, a knife, two or three 
trenchers, and as many water-gourds, constitute almost the entire kitchen 
furniture of the lower classes ; — a kind of gruel {tolle) made by stirring a 
few handfuls of flour into boiling water or milk, is their principal subsis- 
tence. 

Meat finds no place upon their larder,— it being an article too costly for 
ordinary food, as the sheep and cattle of the country are owned by the 
wealthy, and by their exorbitant demands placed beyond the means of the 
commoner. Wood too, bemg two rials (25 cents) per mule-load, is seldom 
used in the large towns for other than culinary- purposes. 

During the winter months, these filthy wretches are seen, day after day, 
basking at the sunny side of their huts, and bestowing upon each other 
certain friendly offices connected with the head, wherein the swarming 
populace of the pericranium are liad in alternate requisition. 

The entire business of the country is in the iiands of the rich, upon 
whom the laboring classes are mainly dependant for support ; and, as a natu- 
ral consequence, the ricii know no end to their treasures, nor the poor to 
their poverty. 

The common laborer obtains only from four to six dollars per month, out 
of which he must feed and clothe liimself. In case he runs in debt beyond 
his means, he is necessitated by law to serve for the required amount, at 
two dollars per month ; — thus, once in debt, it is almost impossible ever to 
extricate himself. 

But a thing adding still furtiier to his load of misfortunes is the hign 

{nice set upon the necessaries and comforts of life. This ranges as fol- 
ows : coffee, from 37^ to 50 cts. per lb. ; sugar, from 18 to 25 cts. per 
do.; calico, from 25 cts. to $1 per yd.; domestic, 25 to 50 cts, ; broadcloths, 
irom $10 to $20, and every thing else in proportion. 

Under such circumstances, it is scarcely marvellous that we find the 
Mexican in his present low state of degradation. 

Having faintly depicted the real condition of a large majority of the de- 
generate inhabitants of New Mexico, it will be expected of me to say some- 
thing of their intelligence and morality ; and here a still more revolting 
task awaits my effort. 

. Intelligence is confined almost exclusively to the higher classes, and the 
poor " palavro^" comes in for a very diminutive share. 

Education is entirely controlled by the priests, wno make use of their 
utmost endeavors to entangle the minds of their pupils in the meshes of 
superstition and bigotry. The result of this may be plainly stated in a few 
words : 

Superstition and bigotry are universal,— all, both old and young, being 
tied down to the disgusting formalities of a religion that manifests itself in 
little else than senseless parade and- unmeaning ceremony, — while a large 
majority can neither read nor write. 



226 WHY SO DEGRADED. 

Tliese conservators of intelligence and morals are often as sadly deficient 
in either as those they assume to teach. Gambling, swearing, drinking 
Sabbath-breaking, and sundry other vices, are the too frequent concomitanta 
of their practice ; — under such instructors, who can fail to foresee the 
attendant train of evils ? The abject condition of the people favors the im- 
press of unsound instruction and deteriorating example, reducing public 
morals to a very low ebb. 

Property and life are rdike unsafe, and a large proportion of the whole com- 
munity are little other than thieves and robbers. Profanity is their common 
language. In their honesty, integrity, and good faith, as a general thing, 
no reliance should bo placed. They are at all times ready to betray their 
trust Vv'henever a suracient inducement is presented. 

With the present of a few dollars, witnesses may be readily obtained to 
swear to anythiiig; and a hke bonus placed in the hands of the Alcaldi will 
generally secure the required judgment, however much at variance with the 
true merits of the tduse. 

Thus, justice becomes a mere mockery, and crime stalks forth at noon- 
day, unawed by fear of punishment, and mirebuked by public opinion and 
practice. 

But fear, in most cases, exercises a far more controUing influence over 
them than either gratitude or favor. They may be ranked with the few 
exceptions in the family of man who cannot endure good treatment. To 
manage tiiem successfully, they must needs be held in continual restraint, 
and kept in their place by force, if necessary, — else they will become 
haughty and hisolent. 

As servants, they are excellent, when properly trained, but are worse than 
useless if left to themselves. 

In regard to the Mexican women, it would be unfair to include them in 
thepreceding sunuuary. 

The ladies present a striking contrast to their countryman in general 
character, other than morals. They are kind and airectionate in their dis- 
position, mild and afPabie in their deportment, and ever ready to administer 
to the necessities of others. But, on the score of virtue* and common 
chastity, they are sadly deficient ; u'liiie ignorance and superstition are 
equally predominant. 

One of the prime causes hi producing this deplorable state of things may 
be i'. M bated to that government policy which confines the circulating me- 
dium of the country within tuo narrow limits, and thus throws the entire 
business of the country into the hands of the capitalist. 

A policy like this must ever give to the rich the moneyed power, while it 
drains from the pockets of the poor man and places him at the mercy of 
haughty lordiings, who, taking advantage of his necessity, grant him but 
the scanty pittance for his services they in tender compassion see tit to 
bestow. 

The higiier classes have thus attained the supreme control, and the com- 
moners must continue to cringe and bow to their will. la tJiis manner th«> 
.atter have, by degrees, lost all ambition and self-respect, — and, in degrada^ 
tion, are only equalled by their efieminacy. 



THE PUEBLO INDIANS. W? 

of little moral restraint, and interested in nothing but the d« 
BHinds of present want, they abandon themselves to vice, and prey upon 
one another and those around tliem. 

Acting upon the principle, tliat " necessity knows no law," they know no 
law for necessity, and help themselves without compunction to whatever 
chance throws in their way. 

To this we may also look for a reason why the entire country is so in- 
fested with banded robbers, that scour it continually in quest of plunder. 
Mankind are naturally vicious ; and, wlien necessity drives them to wrong 
for the procurement of a bare subsistence, they are not slow to become 
adepts in the practice of evil. 

A few miles to the southeast of Taos, is a large village of Pueblos, or 
civilized Indians. These are far superior to their neighbors in circum- 
stances, morals, civil regulations, character, and all tlie other distinguishing 
traits of civilization. 

This race are of the genuine Mexican stock, and retain many of their 
ancient customs, though nominally Catholic in their religion. 

Cherishing a deep-rooted animosity towards their conquerors, they only 
await a favorable opportunity to re-assert their liberty. 

They live in houses built of stoiie and earth, and cultivate the ground for 
a subsistence,— own large herds of cattle, horses, and sheep, — whUe their 
women spin and weave, with no small p etentions to skill. 

Among their peculiarities is the belief, still entertained by many of them, 
that Montezuma, their former emperor, w^ill yet return from the Spirit Land, 
and, placing himself at the head of his people, enable them to overcome 
the despoiiers of his ancient dominions. 

In this strange faith a fire was kept burning without intermission, from 
the death of Montezuma till within ten years past, (a period of nearly three 
centuries,) as a beacon-light to mark the place for his appearing. 

This fire was sustained by an ancient order of priests ministering at a 
temple of unknown age, the ruins of which, it is said, are yet to be seen 
two miles back from St. Miguel, in a very good state of preservation. By 
verbal descriptions received from those who have visited them, I am led to 
infer that they aiFord many curious and interesting evidences of Mexican 
grandeur and tend to shed much hght upon their former history and reli- 
gion. 

The sculpture is said to represent men and animals of difierent kinds, 
in many strange varieties of shape and posture ; among them are beasts, 
birds, and reptiles, some of which are of unknown species. 
' The workmanship is rather rude and without much regard to uniformity 
or proportion of paits, yet possessing a wild beauty and harmony peculiar 
to itself alone, that at once strikes the beholder with feelings of pleasing^ 
wonder. 

I had cherished tiie intention of visiting personally these strange relics 
of the past, but was induced to defer it for a more convenient oppoitunity 
than the present ; and. finally, from my subsequent connection with the 
Tesans, 1 abandoned it altogether. 

The Pueblos number a population of several thousand, and are scattered 
iv«r a connderabie eictent of territory. They bestow much attention to the 



228 IITAH INDUNS. 

inculcation of good morals in the minds of their children ; and, in portraying 

the pernicious effects of evil-doing, frequently admonish them in a quaint 
and expressive manner, — "If you do thus and so, you will become as bad 
as a Spaniard /" — This seems to constitute, in their opinion. t]ie grand cli- 
max of everything vile and degrading. 

They are represented as humane and brave, and strictly honest and up- 
right in their dealings. Their women too are chaste and virtuous, and in 
this respect present a very favorable contrast to their fairer and more beau- 
Uful sisters of Spanish extraction. 

A small party from a trading establishment on the waters of Green river, 
who had visited Taos for the procurement of a fresh supply of goods, were 
about to return, and I availed myself of the occasion to make one of their 
number. 

On the 7th of October we v/ere under way. Our party consisted of three 
Frenchmen and five Spaniards, under the direction of a man named Roubi- 
deau, formerly from St. Louis, Mo. Some eight pack-nuiles, ]aden at the 
rate of two hundred and fifty pounds each, conveyed a quantity of goods ;*— 
these headed by a guide followed in Indian file, and the remainder of the 
company mounted on horseback brought up the rear. 

Crossing the del Norte, we soon after struck into a large trail bearing 
a westerly course ; following wJiicli, on the 1 3th inst. we crossed the main 
ridge of the Rocky Mountains by a feasible pass at the southern extremity 
of the Sierra de Anahuac range, and found ourselves upon the waters of 
the Pacific. 

Six days subsequent, we reached Roubideau's Fort, at the forks of the 
Uintah, having passed several large streams in our course, as well as the 
two principal branches which unite to form the Colorado. This being the 
point of destination, our journey here came to a temporary close. 

The intermediate country, from Taos to the Uintah, is generally very 
rough and diversified with rich valleys, beautiful plateaux, (tierras iemplaf 
das,) arid prairies, sterile plains, (llanos,) and denuded mountains. 

We usually found a sufficiency of timber upon the streams, as well as 
among the hills, where frequent groves of pinion, cedar, and pine lent an 
agreeable diversity to the scene. Game appeared in great abundance 
nearly the whole route, — especially antelope and deer. 

The prevailing rock consisted of several specimens of sandstone, pudding- 
stone, and granite, with limestone, (fossiUferous, bituminous and argilla- 
ceous,) and basalt. 

This territory is owned by the Utahs and Navijo Indians. 

The former of these tribes includes four or five divisions, and inhabits tlio 
country laying betv/een the Rio del Norte, the Great Salt Lake, and the 
vast desert to the soutliward of it. These different fractions are known as 
the Taos, Pa-uta|i, Digger, and Lake Utahs, numbering in all a popula- 
tion of fifteen thousand or more, and exliibiting many peculiarities of 
character and habits distinct from each other. 

The Taos Utahs are a brave and warlike peo})le, located upon the del 
Norte a short distance to the northwest of Taos. These subsist principally 
by hunting, but raise large numbers of horses. They are generally treach- 



THE DIGGERS. t28 

erous and ill-disposed, making alike troublesome neighbors to the Spaniards 
and dangerous opponents to the whites, whenever an opportunity is pre- 
sented. 

The Pa-utahs and Lake Utahs occupy the territory lying south of the 
Snakes, and upon tlie waters of the Colorado of the west, and south 
of the Great Salt Lake. 

These Indians are less warlike in their nature, and more friendly in their 
disposition, than the Taos Utahs. The persons and property of whites, vis- 
iting them for trade or other purposes, are seldom molested ; and all having 
dealings with them, so far as my information extends, unite to give them a 
a good character. 

They rarely go to war, and cm content to enjoy the blessings of peace, 
and follow the chase within tl. limits of their own hunting grounds. 

The Diggers, or rather a siiiali portion of them, are a division of the 
Utah nation, inhabiting a considerable extent of the barren country directly 
southwest of the Great Salt Lake. They are represented as the most de- 
plorably situated, perhaps, of the whole family of man, in all that pertains 
to the means of subsistence and the ordinary comforts of life. .- 

The largest (and, in fact, almost the only) game found withui their terri- 
tory, is a very small species of rabbit, whose skins sewed together consti- 
tute their entire clothing. The soil is too barren for cultivation, sparsely 
timbered, and but illy supplied with water. The consequence of these ac- 
cumulated disadvantages is, that its unfortunate inhabitants are left to 
gather a miserable substitute for food from insects, roots, and tlie seeds of 
grass and herbs. 

In tlie summer months they lay in large supplies against the approach of 
winter, — ants furnishing an important item in the strange collection. 

These insects abound in gieat numbers, and are caught by spreading a 
dampened skin, or fresh-peeled bark, over their hills, which immediately at- 
tracts the inquisitive denizens to its surface ; when filled, the lure is care- 
fully removed and its adherents shaken into a tight sack, where they are 
confined till dead, — they are then thoroughly sun-dried, and laid away for 
use. 

In this manner they are cured by the bushel. The common way of eat- 
ing them is in an uncooked state. These degraded beings live in holes 
dug in the sand near some watercourse, or in rudely constructed lodges of 
ibsinthe, where they remain in a semi-dormant, inactive state the entire 
winter, — leaving their lowly retreats only, now and then, at the urgent calls 
of nature, or to warm their burrows by burning some of the few scanty 
combastibles which chance may afllbrd around them. 

In the spring they creep from tiieir holes, not like bear — ^fattened from a 
long repose — but poor and emaciated, with barely flesh enough to hide their 
bones, and so enervatei^ from hard farcr and frcq lent abstinence, that they 
can scarcely move. 

So habituated are they to this mode of fife from constant inurement, they 
appear to have no conception of a better one. 

Their ideas and aspirations are as simple as their fare. Give them an 
occasional rabbit, with an abundance of ants, seeds, and roots, and they are 
content to abide in their desert home and burrow like tlie diminutive animal 
they hunt. ^^ 



530 SKETCH OF THE NAVUOS. 

They entertain great dread of the whites, whose power to do them harm 
they have learned on several occasioDs by bitter experience. These pain- 
ful lessons have generally been inculcated as follows : impelled by hunger, 
these miserable creatures have sometimes attempted to kill the animals of 
trapping parties ; and the trappers, in order to prevent a repetition of such 
occurrences, have been accustomed to siioot down their rude assailants 
without mercy. 

Since the practice of this summary mode of chastisement has ob- 
tained, those able to run will flee with the utmost consternation on the 
approach of a party of whites, — leaving the feeble and infirm in the rear, 
who employ their most piteous supplications and moving entreaties fer 
mercy. 

Thes eindians possess a capacity for improvement, whenever circumstan- 
ces favor them. I have seen several, both of men and women, taken from 
among them while young, who, under proper instruction, had made rapid 
progress, and even disclosed a superiority of intellect, compared with like 
examples from other nations, — a fact contributing much to prove that man- 
kind Heed only to be placed in like conditions by birth and education to 
stand upon the same common level. 

Most of them are represented as inoffensive in their habits and charac- 
ter, — never going to war, and rarely molesting any one that passes through 
their country. 

Their arms are clubs, with small bows and arrows made of reeds- 
affording but a poor show of resistance to rifles, and a dozen moun- 
taineers are rendered equal to a full army of such solders. 

The Navijos occupy the country between the del Norte and the 
Sierra Anahuac, situated upon the Rio Chama and Puerco, — from 
thence extending along the Si-rra de los Mimbros, into the province 
ofSonora. 

They are a division of the ancient Mexicans ; hat have never yet fullj 
succumbed to Spanish domination, and still liiainiain against the con 
querors of their country an obstinate and uncompromising warfare. 

Like their ancestors, they possess a civilization of their own. Mos 
of them live in houses built of stone, and cultivate the ground, — raising 
vegetables and grain for a subsistence. They also grow large quanti 
ties of horses, cattle, and sheep — make bu ter and cheese, and spin an^ 
weave 

The blankets manufactured by these Indians are superior in beaut} 
of color, texture, and durability, to the fabri -s of their Spanish nf;igh 
bors. I have frequ'Mitly seen tliem so closely woven as to be imper 
vious to water, and even serve for its transportation. 

The internal regulations of this tribe are represenied, by those inor< 
intimately acquainted with them, as in strict accordance with the wel- 
fare of the Avhole community. Lewdness is punished by a])ublic expo- 
sure of the culprit ; dishonesty is held in check by suitable regulations , 
industry is encouraged by general consent, and hospitality by common 
practice. 

In their warfare with the Spaniards, they frequently exhibit a 
strange mixture of humanity and ludicrous barbarity. 



WHY DISTRUSTFUL OF THE WHITES. 331 



They never kill women or children when in their power, but retain 
Ihem as prisoners. The men, however, are invariably dispatched. 

But in the latter, a comedy not unfrequently precedes the tragedy 
which closes the scene. Taking their cue from the passionate fondness 
of the Spaniards for dancing, at times, when any one of these unfortunate 
wretches falls into their power, tliey form a ring around him, and provi- 
ded with switches, compel him to dance until from exhaustion he can 
do so no longer, after which he is unfeelingly butchered. His cruel 
tormenters continue singing, as they force him to dance his oum death' 
dirge, and laugh at his faltering steps. 

As warriors they are brave and daring, and make frequent and bold ex- 
cursions into the Spanish settlements, driving off vast herds of cattle, 
horses, and sheep, and spreading terror and dismay on every side. Aa 
diplomatists, in imitation of their neighbors, they make and break trea- 
ties whenever interest or inclination prompts them. 

The Navijo country is shut in by high mountains, inaccessible from 
without, except by limited passes, through narrow defiles well situated 
for defence on the approach of an invading foe. 

Avaihng themselves of these natural advantages, they have continued 
to maintain their ground against fearful odds, nor have they ever suffered 
the Spaniards to set foot within their territory as permanent conquerors. 

The valleys of the Chama and its tributaries are said to be unrivalled 
in beauty, and possessed of a delightful climate, as well as an exuberant 
fertility of soil. In these valleys winter is comparatively unknown and ve- 
getation attains an extraordinary size. The mountains abound with game, 
and are rich in all. kinds of minerals. Some of the most valuable gold 
mines in Mexico are supposed to be held by the Navijos. I have convers- 
ed with several Americans who have travelled to considerable extent in 
the territory of these Indians, and all unite to speak of it in most flatter- 
ing terms. 

The Catholics maintain numerous missions among them, and have 
succeeded in propagating their peculiar religious notions to some extent, 
notwithstanding their continued hostilities with the Spaniards. 

The Navijos are generally friendly to the Americans visiting them ; 
but were formerly much more so than at present. This partial estrange- 
ment may be attributed to the depredations of a party of Americans, 
under the lead of one Kirker, who were employed by the governments of 
Santa Fe and Chihuahua, to oppose their incursions. This was done with 
great success — the mercenaries despoiling their property, butchering 
their warriors, and bearing off men, women, and children, as captivog to 
be oqA into slavery. 



232 



CHAPTER XXII. 

Uiaiah trade.— Snake Indians; their country and character.— Description of Upptz 
California.— The Eastern Section.— Great Salt Lake nn J circumjacent country.— . 
Desert. — Digger country, and regions south. — Fertility of -oil. — Prevailing rock and 
minerals. — Abundance of wild fruit, grain, and gameis — VaUey of the Colorado. — 
Magnificent scenery. — Valleys of the Uintah and other rivers. — Vicmity of the 
Gda. — Face of the country, soil &c. — Sweet epots. — Mildness of climate, and its 
healthiness. — ^Tlie natives. — Sparsity of inhabitants.— No government. — All about 
the Colorado and Gila rivers. — Abundance of fish.— Trade in pearl oyster-shells.— 
Practicable routes from the United States. 

In preceding remarks relative to regions coming under present observa- 
tion, I have confined myself to generalities, for the reason, tliat less interest 
is felt by the American public, in a minute description of the rivers, moun- 
tains, valleys, etc., so far within the limits of Mexico, than in one connected 
with U. S. Territories ; consequently the reader must rest contented with 
greater conciseness in subsequent pages, until he is again introduced to the 
interesting localities of his own country. 

Roubideau's Fort is situated on the right bank of the Uintah, in lat. 40° 
2T 46" north, long. 109° 56' 42" west. The trade of this post is con- 
ducted principally with the trapping parties frequenting the Big Bear, 
Green, Grand, and the Colorado rivers, with their numerous tributaries, in 
search of fur-bearing game. 

A small business is also carried on with the Snake and Utah Indians, 
living in the neighborhood of this establishment. The common articles of 
deaUng are horses, with beaver, otter, deer, sheep, and elk skins, in barter 
for ammunition, fire-arms, knives, tobacco, beads, awls, &c. 

The Utahs and Snakes aiford some of the largest and best finished sheep 
and deer skins I ever beheld, — a single skin sometimes being amply suffi- 
cient for common sized pantaloons. These skins are dressed so neatly 
as frequently to attain a snowy whiteness, and possess the softness of 
velvet. 

They may be purchased for the trifling consideration of eight or ten charges 
of ammunition each, or two or three awls, or any other tiling of propor- 
tional value. Skins are very abundant in these parts, as the natives, owing 
to the scarcity of buflTalo, subsist entirely upon small game, which is found 
in immense quantities This trade is quite profitable. The articles pro- 
cured so cheaply, when taken to Santa Fe and the neighboring towns, find 
a ready cash market at prices ranging from one to two dollars each. 
^ The Snakes, or Shoshones, live in the eastern part of Oregon and in 
Upper California, upon the waters of tiie Great Snake and Bear rivers, Bind 
the two streane which unite to form tlie Colorado. 



VIEW OF UPPER CAUFORjriA. ^^ 

They are friendly to the whites, and less disposed to appropriate to their 
urn use everything they can lay hands on, than some other tribes. Thejr 
seldom go to war, though by no means deficient in bravery, — frequently re- 
sisting with signal success the hostile encroachments of the Sioux and 
Chyennes. Rich in horses and game, they likewise include within their 
territory many interesting and beautiful localities, as well as some extraor- 
dinary natural curiosities. 

One division of this tribe is identified with the Diggers in habits and 
mode of living, — tlie same causes operating in each case to produce the 
same results. Another division is identified with the Crows, arid yet a 
third one with the Utahs, — numbering in all not far from twelve thousand- 
Being less migTatory in their habits, and more tractable in their dispositioo 
than those of their eastern brethren demontes, they are fat more susceptible 
of civiHzdtion and improvement ; though, as yet, nothing has been done for 
tiieir benefit. The missionary might here find an encouraging field for Ms 
philanthropic exertions. 

With the passage of the mountain chain, noticed in the preceding chap- 
ter, the reader is inducted to the northeastern extremity of California. 
My intention of visiting the interior of this interesting province of the 
Mexican Republic was frustrated through the lack of a convenient oppor- 
tunity for its prosecution ; but, as the public mind, cluring the past few 
years, has been so much occupied with subjects connected with this couii 
tiy, I am unwilling to pass on without presenting a brief description of 
it, obtained from sources upon which full reliance may be placed. 

The following sketch, coupled with my own observations, is carefully 
arranged from informatioh derived from indviduals encountered during my 
stay in this country, some of whom had travelled over most of it, and 
others had resided for years within its confines. 

On referring to the map, a large extent of country will be noticed, 
bounded upon the north by Oregon, east by the Rocky Mountains, south 
by the Lower Province and Gulf of Cahfornia, together with the Rio Gila 
which separates it from Sonera, and west by the Pacific, situated between 
parallels 32*' and 42° north latitude, which is now known as Upper Cah- 
fornia. 

This embi-aces an extent of nearly 460,000 square miles, and is walled 
in for the most part upon the north and east by lofty mountains, impassable 
except at certain points ; while upon the west and soutli its vast stretch of 
lea-coast, navigable rivers, and commodious harbors open it to the commer- 
cial intercourse of all nations. 4^ 

The entire country is more or less broken by hills and mountains, many 
of them towering to a height of several thousand feet above the level of 
the sea, whose summits, clothed with eternal snow, overlook the valleys of 
perennial verdure that so frequently lie around them. The most noted of 
these is the California, or Cascade range, which, by intersecting the prov- 
ince from north to south, separates it into two grand natural divisions, pro- 
periv denominated Eastern and Western California. 

The above range, though higher than the principal chain of the Rocky 
Mmmtuns, is passable at various points. It is situated inland from tM 



SS4 TH£ GREAT SALT LAKE, ETC. 

Pacific at distances varying from one hundred and fifty to four hnndred 
miles, tracing its way with diminished altitude adown the isthmus that 
forma the Lower Province. 

Owing to its locality, a description of the Eastern Division seems to 
come naturally the first in order. 

This section is watered principally by the Colorado, Gila, and Bear riv- 
3rs, with their numerous tributaries, and has also several lakes in various 
^arts of it, prominent among wliich is the Great Salt Lake near the north- 
ern boundary. 

This large body of water is nearly one hundred and fifty miles long by 
eighty broad ; and, though the receptacle of several large rivers, has no 
visible outlet, and hence is supposed by many persons to held subterranean 
connection with the Ocean. Its waters are so strongly impregnated wii i 
ealt, incrustations of that mineral are frequently found upon its shores. 

Towards the northern extremity an island makes its appearance, fi*ow« 
whose centre a solitary mountain rises in proud majesty for nearly a thou- 
sand feel above tlie circumlluent waters ; its craggy sides, naked and de* 
olate, with whitened surfitce, now inspire the beholder with feelings of 
awe, while its bounding streamlets, skirted with verdant openings and di 
minutive trees, strike the eye pleasantly, as the sheen of their waters falls 
upon the vision and ■ engenders commingled sensations of dehght and ad- 
miration. 

Viewed from tlie northern shore, this island seems not more than twelve 
nules distant ; a deception caused by the extraordinary purity of the at- 
mosphere. Several attempts to reach it, however, by means of canoes, 
have proved futile, owing to its great distance the dangerous state of navi- 
gation. 

It is thought by many persons that still other islahds of larger dimen- 
sions occupy the centre of the lake, and not without some show of reason ; 
there is ample room for tliein, and, although this vast body of water has 
been circura-traversed per shore, it*has never yet been otherwise explored 
by man* 

TliO largest of the rivers that find their discharge in this vast saline re- 
«ervoir is the Big Bear, a stream which rises near the South Pass, and, 
following its meanderings, is about two hundred and fifty or three hundred 
miles in length. It rolls leisurely on with its deep sluggish volume of 
waters, measuring some two hundred yards wide at its mouth, and depos- 
ites its willing tribute into the bosom of this miniature ocean, while foui 
or five other fresii water affluents from the east and south make a like de- 
bouche witliout increasing ils^ize or diminishing its saltness. 

The valleys of tlie.^e streams possess a very rich soil and are well tim- 
bered. The landscape adjacent to the lake is diversified with marshes, 
nlains, highlands, and mountains, aflbrding every variety of scenery. The 
toil is generally fertile and prolific in all kinds of vegetation as well aa 
fruits indigenous to the country. 

• Recently, however, (Japt. Fremont reports his having succeeded m reacliing thi 
tsland nearest to the norlhern shore, but he was unfortunately prevented a furthei 
exploration. In his account of this he makes no mention of trees or streams of water 
«pon the mountain. 1 have described it only as it appears when viewed from tbe 
wmim had. 



DESCRIPTION OF EASTERN SECTION 235 

Timber also abounds in sufficient quantity for all necessary purposes\ 
Grame too is found in ^reat abundance, particularly deer and elk ; and, ta- 
ken as a whole, the vicinity of the Great Salt Lake holds out strong in- 
ducements to settlers, and is capable of sustaining, as it will no doubt ulti-; 
mately possess, a dense population. 

Forty or fifty miles west and south from this the traveller is inducted to 
the vast expanse of sand and gravel, lying between lat. 35° and 40° north 
which is almost entirely destitute of both wood and water. 

This reach is upwards of three hundred miles in length and nearly two 
hundred broad. It is impassable at all seasons of the year on account of 
its extreme dryness and lack of suitable nourishment for animals ; and even 
a trip from Santa Fe to Western California, by the regular trail, is rarely 
undertaken except in the fall and spring months, at which tiiine tlie ground 
is rendered moist by annual rains and the transient streams venture to 
emerge from their sandy hiding places. 

The Digger country, of which I have taken occasion to speak in con- 
nection with its unfortunate inhabitants, lies upon the eastern and southern 
extremities of this desolate waste, and presents an aspect little less for- 
bidding. 

As a general thing the landscape is highly undulating and varied with 
conical hills, some of which are mere heaps of naked sand or sun-baked 
clay of a whitish hue ; others, vast piles of granitic rock, alike destitute of 
vegetation or timber; while yet others are clothed with a scanty heibaga 
and occasional clusters of stunted pines and cedars. 

Now and then a diminutive vega intervenes in favorable contrast to the 
surrounding desolation, greeting the beholder with its rank grasses, mingled 
vdth blushing prairie-flowers. But such beauty-spots are by no means 
frequent. 

The watercourses are mere beds of sand, skirted with sterile bottoms of 
stiff clay and gravel, and aiford streams only at their heads, while, for 
nearly the entire year, both dew and rain are unknown. Vegetation, con- 
sequently, is sparse and unpromising, and the whole section of necessity 
remains depopulated of game. 

It is needless to say such a country can never become inhabited by civil- 
ized man. 

Between the Colorado river and the California mountains, south of the 
cheerless desert above described, the prospect is far more flattering. Th<3 
hills are of varied altitude and are usually clothed with grass and timber ; 
while comparatively few of them are denuded to any great extent. ThF> 
landscape is highly picturesque and pleasingly diversified with mountaiii?i, 
hills, plains, and valleys, which afford every variety of chmate and soil. 

This section is principally watered by the Rio Virgen and lateral 
■treams ; and, though little or no rain falls in the summer months, the co- 
piousness of nightly dews in some measure make up for tliis defect. 

The superfice of the valleys ranges from one to three feet in depth, and 
eeneraily consists of sedimentary deposites and the debris of rocks, borne 
&om the neighboring hills by aqueous attrition, wliich, mingled with a 
dark-colored loam compounded of clay and sand, and various organic and 
Tegetable remains, unite to form a soil of admirable fecundity, rarely equaU 
gi« by *iMrt of arvY other country. 



936 LANDSCAPE SCENES. 



The hills, however, are unfit for cultivation to any great extent, owing 
to their common sterility as well as the abundance of rock in many parts ; 
yet they miglit serve a good purpose for grazing lands. 

The prevailing rock is said to be sandstone, limestone, mica slate, tjap, 
and basalt ; the minerals, copper, iron, coal, salt, and sulphur. 

Game exists in great abundance, among which are included antelope, 
deer, (black and white-tailed,) elk, bear, and immense quantities of water- 
fowls ; large herds of wild horses and cattle, also, are not unfrequently 
met V ith. 

Tii.iber is usually a scarce article, which constitutes one grand fault in 
the entire section of Eastern California. This evil, however, is partially re- 
medied by a mild climate, and only a comparatively small amount of wood 
is required for building, fencing, and fuel. 

Fruits of ail kinds indigenous to the country, particularly grapes, are 
found in great profusion, and those native only to the torrid and temperate 
zones may also be successfully cultivated. 

Among the grasses, grains, and vegetables growing spontaneously in 
some parts, are red-clover and oats, (which atttain a most luxuriant bulk,) 
flax and onions ; the latter not unfrequently equalling in size the proudest 
products of the far- farmed gardens of Wetliersfield. 

We are now naturally led back to the Colorado, and the comitry lying 
between it and the Sierra de los Mimbros range, on the east. This division 
embraces much choice land in its valleys, but tlie high grounds and hiUs 
present much of the dryness and sterility incident to the grand praries. 

The valley of tlie Colorado averages from five to fifteen miles broad, for 
a distance of nearly two hundred miles above its mouth. 

Further on, the passage of the river through high mountains and tierras 
templadas (table lands) presents an almost continuous gorge of vertical 
and overhanging rocks, that, closing in upon the subfluent stream at a va- 
ried height of from fifteen to six hundred or even a thousand feet, afford 
only an occasional diminutive opening to its waters. 

This vast canon is said to extend for five or six hundred allies, interrupt- 
ing the river with numerous cataracts, cascades and rapids, and opposing 
to its swift current the sharp fragments of severed rocks thrown from the 
dizzy eminences, as breakers, by which to lash the gurgling waters and 
depict the more than tempest-tossed foam and maddened fury of old ocean ! 

In some places the impending rocks approach so near to each other from 
above, a person may almost step across the vast chasm opening to view the 
foaming river, half obscured in perpendicular distance and dimmed by the 
eternal sliadows of thrice vertical v/alls. 

This superbly magnificent scene continues nearly the entire extent, from 
>iie head of the Colorado valley to the boundary between Oregon ftnd Cali- 
iomia. 

The table lands and mountains on both sides, as a whole, disclose a 
a dreary prospect. Now, the traveller meets with a wide reach of naked 
rock paving the surface to the exclusion of grass, shrubs, or tree, — now, a 
narrow fissure, filled with detritus and earth, sustains a few stunted pines, — 
now, a spread of hard sun-baked clay refuses root to aught eartli-growing, — 
now, a small sptace of saline efflorescences obtrudes upon the vision iti 
mow? iocnuitatioiu, alike repalaive to vegetable lift } — tnem, cornea a broMi 



INHABITANl'a 237 



area clothed with thin coarse grass ; an opening vallon next greets the eye 
in the generous gro^vth of its herbage and the fertihty of its soil ; a beauti- 
ful grove of stately pines, cedars, and pinions, rises in tlie back ground ; a 
Btill larger, more expansive, and thrice lovely valley, skirts the banks of 
some bounding stream, and delights the fancy with its smiling flowers and 
luxuriant verdure. 

Here, a huge mountain rears itself in majesty— now, piling heaps upon heapa 
of naked granite, limestone, sandstone, and basalt, variegated and parti-col- 
ored, — now, thickly studded with lateral pines, cedars, pinions, and hem- 
locks, — then, again denuded, tiU at last its sharpened peaks pierce the clouds 
while storms and tempests in their wild orgies haste to do it reverence. 
There, a lesser, coniform elevation of the continuous chain, is mantled in 
living green ; while perhaps by its side, another pains the eye with the 
well defined lineaments of desolation. 

A country of this description occupies nearly tlie whole interval from 
the two main branches of the Colorado to the dividing ridge of mountains. 

The valleys of the Uintah, and several other affluents within its limits, 
however, are broad, fertile and tolerably well timbered. Grass continues 
green nearly the entire winter, and game of all kinds common to the moun- 
taiiis, excepting bufialo, is abundant. The valley soils are well adapted to 
cultivation, and might sustain a large population. 

We come now to the soutlieastern extremity of the province, bordering 
upon the Rio Gila which separates it from.Sonora, and lying between the 
Colorado and the Sierra de los Mirabros range. 

This stretch, though less fertile as a general thing, partakes of much the 
same characteristics as that upon the opposite side of the Colorado, and 
upon Rio Virgen, south of the Digger country, which was so fully described 
upon a former page. The soil, however, is not generally so sandy, and the 
landscape is far more rough and broken. The bottoms of the Colorado and 
Gila, with their tributaries, are broad, rich, and well timbered. Everything 
in the shape of vegetation attams a lusty size, amply evincing the exuber- 
ent fecunmty of the soil producing it 

There are many sweet spots in the vicinity of both these streams, well 
deserving the name of earthly Edens, Man here might fare sumptuously, 
with one continued feast spread before him by the spontaneous products of 
the earth, and revel in perennial spring or luxurate amid unfading summer. 

Yet, notwithstanding the other attractions held out, game is much lesi 
plentiful in this than in other parts, — probably owing to the warmth of the 
climate. 

Winter is unknown, and the only thing that marks its presence from that 
of other seasons, is a continuation of rainy and damp weather for some two 
or three months. All the wild fruits and grains mdigenous to the country 
are found here in profuse abundance. 

The entire Eastern Division of Upper CaUfomia possesses a uniformly 
aalubrious and healthful atmosphere. Sickness, so far as my knowledge 
eaEtends, is rarely known. 

The natives, for the most part, may be considered friendly, or at leaiti 
not dangerous. Some of them, in the neighborhood of the Gila and thi 
Gulf of Califomia are partially advanced in civilization, and coUivale tfaa 
gHHUidf xaifling com, melona, pumpkins, beans, potatoes, dlM. 



288 ROUTES FROM 1 Ii£ UI^jrED STATES. - 

These live in fixed habitations, constructed of wood, and coated with 
earth, in a conical form, much like Pav/nee huts. f 

The condition and character of these tribes present mo^t flattering in- 
ducements for missionary enterprise '; and, should eflbrts for their ameliora' 
tion be put forth by zealous and devoted men, (and meet with no coiuiter- 
acting opposition from tiie united influence of the Mexican Government and 
the narrow minded bigotry of an intolerent clergy and priost-ridden people,).- 
a glorious fruition of their most sanguine hopes might soon be expected. 

There are no settlements of either whites or Mexicans, to my knov; ledge 
througJiGut the whole extent of this territory. Indians may, therefore, J>8 
considered its only inhabitants, other than the strolling parties of tiappers 
and traders that now and then travel it, or temporarily establish themselves 
witiiin its limits. Of course then the Eastern Division of Upper Califor- 
nia must be considered without a people or a government. 

The Hif Colorado rises in the U. S. territory about lat. 42"^ 30' north, 
interlocking with tiie head waters of the Columbia, Missouri, Platte, and 
Arkansas, and empties into the Gulf of Cahfornia neav lat. 32° north. 
Following its windings it is some twelve or fifteen hundred miles in length. 
This stream with its numerous tributaries is the only river worth naming in 
Eastern California, and, to a great extent, serves to water ihat country. 
Owing to the rapidity of its current and its frequent fails and cascades, the 
navigation is entirely destroyed, till within about one hundred iniles of its 
mouth, at the hartd of tide water ; from this on no further interruption oc- 
curs, and the depth is sufficient for vessels bearing several hundred tons 
burthen. 

The Gila is properly a river of Sonora, though commonly regarded as the 
northern bonndury of that province. It rises in the Sierra de ios Mimbros, 
near lat. 33*^ 25' north, long. 106*^ 15' west from Greenwich, ?did pursues 
a west-southwesterly course till it discharges itself into tJie Bay of the 
Colorodo, at lat. 32=* 16' north, long. 11 4« 27' west. 

Its whole length is about eight hundred miles, for most of which distance 
navigation is impracticable, with the exception of some forty miles or more 
at its mouth. 

These two rivers are said to aflTord immense quantities of fi^h, especially 
near their confluence with the Gulf of Cahfornia. 

The Gulf also contains a large variety and exhaustless supplies of the 
fiimy tribe, together with several species of the crustaceous and testaceous 
order. Among tlie last named are lobsters, crabs, clams, and oysters. 

Oysters are very numerous and of an excellent quality, including ic 
variety the genuine mother pearl. A small trade in tlie shells of the pearl 
oyster is carried on with the Arapahos, Chyemies, and Sioux, by the 
Spaniards, which yields a very large profit, — a single shell frequently 
bringing from six to eight robes. These Indians make use of them for 
9ar-ornaments, and exhibit no little taste in their shape and finish. 

The eastern section of Upper California is accessible by land as well as 
lea from several feasible passe? through the mountain ranges forming iti 
tastern boundan'. 

The best lana routes for waggons from the United States is through the 
South Pass, — thenoe, to the Great Salt Lake by Bear river valley ♦—tneno^ 



WESTERN CALIFORNU. 239 

the emigrant can direct his course to any part of the country, as interest or 
inclination may su^^gest. 

Another pass is airorded by way of the Santa Fe trail near iaU 37* 
north ; tiiis, however, is a very difficult one for waggons, and should only 
be travelled on horseback. 

Tliere are said to be one or two other passes further south, in reference 
to which I cannot speak with certainty, but am incUned to accredit their 
reported existence. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

MmenJs,— Western CaJifomia.— Tlie Sacramento and contigaouB regions. — Principal 
rivers. — Fish. — Comnrsercial advantages — Bay of San Fmnciaco. — Other Baya and 
Harbors.— Description of the country ; territory northwest of the Sacramento ; 
Tlamath mountains ; California range and its vicinity ; Southern parts ; timber ; 
river-bottoms ; Valleys of Sacramento, del Plumas, and Tulare ; their extent, fertiUty, 
timber and fruit ; wild grain and clover, spontaneous ; wonderiul fecundity of soil, 
and its products ; the productions, climate, rains and dews ; geological and mineralogi- 
cal character; face of the country; its water; its heaUhiness ; game ; superabun- 
dan(^e of cattle, horses, and sheep, their prices, &c. ; beasts of prey ; the inhabi- 
tants, who ; Indians, their character and condition ; Capital of tlie Province, with 
other towTTis ; advantages of San Francisco ; inland settlements ; foreigners and 
Mexicans; Government; its full raiMtaryetrerigth.— Remarks. 

In the preceding chapter the reader must have acquired some tangible 
idea of the true condition of Eastern California, with all its varied beauties 
and deformities ; its Edens and wastes of desolation ; its enchantments, and 
scenes of awe and terrific grandeur. 

To have treated the subject more in extenso, would have trespassed upon 
prescribed brevity; yet, doubtless, many will regret my having said so httle 
relative to the mineralogical character and resources of that country. The 
truth is, comparatively little is known upon this important matter. Were 
^I to give ear to common report, I would say there are both gold and silver, 
with copper, lead, and iron. But such stories are not always to be credited 
unless they como in a credible shape. 

However, it is very probable tliese metals do exist in various parts ; and 
certain it is that immense berls of coal and rock-salt are afforded, with 
large quan' ities of gypsum, the truth of which is placed beyond doubt by an 
accumulation of teritimony. With these few remarks I turn from the subject, 
and bring before the reader another and more interesting topic. 

Following the only practicable waggon route froni tlie U. S. to Western 
California, via Soutli Pass, — tiiencer after bearing northwest some forty 
miles, by a long swoep southward around the Sierra Nevada to the Rio 
Sacrimento, — the emigrant is taken through a succession of mountains, 
hills, plains, and vaDeys, furrowed by frequent aflhient.s from the north;— 
JR9W, sterile wastes of intervenlDg sand ; now^ pleasant iproadj* of anble 



240 ABUNDANCE OF naU 



pmiries } now, rugged superfices of naked rock ; then, beautiful valleys 
arrayed in all the loveliness of perennial verdure, and profuse in vegetation 
of extraordinary growth, intermixed with wild-flowers of unrivalled hues 
and lavish fragrance, till he finally reaches his destination. 

The Sacramento and its tributaries water the greater part of Western 
California. 

This river is formed by the confluence of two large streams which rise 
in the Cascade Mountains, properly termed the North and South Forks 
the former heading near lat. 41"^ 43' north, long. lU*^' 51' west. (The Sout* 
Fork is the stream defining the waggon route from the U. States, via SoutI 
Pass.) 

The Sacramento, measured by its windings, is about eight hundred and 
fifty miles in length. It receives many important auxiliaries above the 
junction of its two forks, which greatly increase the volume and depth of 
its waters. From its mouth it is said to afford a good stage of navigation 
for crafts of tolerable burthen, as high up as three huni-ed miles, — ^tide 
water setting back for one Imndred and fifty miles. 

Three other rivers, flowing from the southeast, have their discharge in 
the Bay of San Francisco. These streams are severally called the Rio del 
Plumas, American Fork, and Tulare. 

The former derives its name from the great abundance of water-fowls 
which congregate upon it at all seasons of the year, so numerous and 
tame that the natives not unfreqaently kill large quantities of them with 
clubs or stones as they fly through the air. 

The del Plumas is said to be navigable, for boats of a light draught, till 
within a hundred miles of its head, — its wliole length is about two hundred 
and fifty miles. The American Fork, or the Rio de los Americanos, is a 
clear and beautiful stream about one hundred and fifty miles long, emptying 
into the Sacramento Bay below the del Plmnas, and between it and the 
Tulare. Owing to frequent rapids, however, its navigation is destroyed. 

The Tulare is said to be four hundred miles long, and navigable for one 
half tliat distance. It i.^ represented as watering one of the most interest- 
ing sections of Western California, and hence is considered next in impor- 
tance to the Sacramento. This stream affords some of the finest localities 
for settlements found in the wholo country. 

Below the Bay of San Francisco several other small streams find their 
way into the Pacific, but none of them are navigable to any great extent. 
The principal of these empty as folio w.s ; into the Bay of Monterey, into 
the Ocean near Point del Esteros, Point Arguello, St. Barbara Channel, 
San Pedro Bay, and opj,;o3ite the island of St. Clement 

Above the Bay of San Francisco, Russian river is discharged into Bodega 
Bay ; further on, Smith's river empties into Trinidad Bay ; and two other 
small streams find their discharge near Point St. George, a few miles below 
tlie boundary line hct-\'eei- Orc^'on and California. 

Smitli's river is the largest stream either above or below the Bay 
of San Francisco, and is alxjut two hundred miles in length, though un- 
navigable. 

Afi these various rivers and their atfluents are stored with innnmerabla 
fappiies of dehcious fish, tlie principal of which are salmon and salmon 
Th» Ocean too a^rds an exbaudtleM quantity of tho piicatoiiit 



SOIL, CLIMATE, ETe. 241 



fiunily, including whales, cod, and haddock, with oysters, clams, lobsters, 

dLC 

So great is the abundance of fish at certain seasons, that, with a rude 
seine, the natives frequently take fifteen or twenty barrels full at a single 
draught ; fish constituting their principal subsistence. 

There are few, if any, countries in the world possessed of superior com* 
mercial advantages to the western 'section of Upper California. 

True, its inland navigation is limited ; yet, with an extent of nearly eight 
hundred miles of sea-coast, accessible at almost any point, it includes some 
of the finest bays and harbors ever known. Of these, for commodiousness 
and safety at all times, the Bay of San Francisco stands pre-eminently con 
spicuous. 

This bay is an arm of the sea extending some forty miles or more inland, 
ehut in, for the most part, upon each side by precipitous banks of basalt 
and trap, that skirt a very broken and hilly country contiguous to it. The 
entrance from the ocean is by an opening, a mile or more in width, through 
rock-formed walls, between one and two hundred feet high. A recent 
traveller,* in describing this bay, says : — 

" From the points forming the entrance, the sea gradually expands to 
some eight or ten miles in extent, from north to south, and twelve from 
east to west. At the extreme eastern part of the vast basin thus formed, 
its shores again clo:se in abruptly, contracting so as to leave a pass of about 
two miles in width, which forms the entrance to a second bay of still larger 
dimensions. From this gorge their high rocky banks again diverge for 
some ten miles, when they still again contract to the narrow space of one 
mile, and form the passage to a third. The latter is more spacious than 
either before mentioned, and, formed in like manner, extends twelve miles 
from east to west and fifteen from north to south, aflTording the safest 
and most commodious anchorage." 

There is ample water at all times for the entrance of ships of the largest 
class, and it is asserted confidently, that these three united bays would afford 
perfect safety, secure anchorage, and ample room for the fleets and navies 
of all nations. 

Several other bays and harbors are situated along the coast, all of which, 
to a greater or less extent, are favorably spoken of for general safety and 
good anchorage. 

Among the above are mentioned the Bay of Monterey, San Pedro, St 
tXego, Bodega, and Trinidad. Bodega, however, is represented as being, 
at times, very unsafe and even dangerous. 

With such extraordinary facilities for commerce, it needs no prophetic 
eye to forsee the position Western California is destined to assume, before 
many years have passed, and, from her position and natural resources, will 
be enabled successfully to maintain among the foremost nations of the 
eartli — provided, always, that some other people more enterprising and en- 
lightened than the prescn'r inert, ignorant, stupid, and mongrel race infest- 
ing it with their presence, take possession of the country, develop its enes- 
gies and bring to light the full beauty of its natural lovliness. 

We are now led to speak of the peculiarities of soil , landscape, scenery 



*Hutingt. 
21 



242 COUNTBY BELOW THE SACRAMENTO. 

climate, productions, and niineral resources of this interesting country , 
and in so doing, I would fir^t draw a succinct view of the territory lying 
between the Rio Sacramento and Oregon. 

Here we find the most forbidding aspect, with one exception, of any in 
Western California. The soil is generally very dry and barren, and the 
face of the country broken and hilly. The streams of water (as in the 
Eastern Division) frequently sink and become lost in the sand, or force 
themselves into the Ocean and parent streams by percolation or subterrane- 
an passages. 

In many places is presented a surface of white -eun-baked clay, entirely 
destitute of vegetation ; and in others, wide spreads of sand, alike denuded ; 
and yet again iron-bound superfices of igneous rock. 

Now and then groves of pines or firs spread their broad branches as it 
were to cover the nakedness of nature ; while here and there a valley of 
greater or less extent smiles amid the surrounding desolation. 

All the various streams are skirted with bottoms of arable soil, ofttimes 
not only large but verj' fertile, though perhaps unadapted to cultivation, on 
account of their dryness, without a resort to irrigation. 

Smith's river pursues its way, for forty or fifty miles, through a wide 
bottom of rich soil, most admirably suited for agricultural purposes v/ere it 
not for its innate aridity ; — however, during the summer season, it is, to a 
limited extent, watered from nightly dews, which enable it to sustain a 
luxuriant vegetation. 

Not one fourth part of the northwestern portion of this section is fit for 
tillage. That part contiguous to the sea-coast is sandy and far less broken 
than those sections less interior. 

The Tlameth Mountains, pursuing a west-southwest course from Oregon, 
strike the coast near lat. 41° north. This range has several lofty peaks 
covered with perpetual snow, and shoots its collateral eminences far into the 
adjacent prairies. 

There is one feasible pass through this chain a few miles inland from tlie 
coast, that serves well for the purpose of intercommunication with OregoiL 

The less elevated parts of these mountains are frequently covered with 
groves of small timber and openings of grass suitable for pasturage, while 
intermingled with them are occasional valleys and prairillons of diminutive 
space, favorable to the growth of grain and vegetables. The same may bt 
said in reference to the California chain for its whole extent, especially in 
the vicinity of the prairie. 

Following the course of this latter ridge from north to south, we find 
upon both sides a reach of very broken and highly tumulous landscape, 
Bome twenty or thirty miles broad. 

Near the head-waters of the Sacramento, these lands are well watered 
md possess a general character for fertility, producing a variety of grass, 
with shrubs and a few scattering trees. Below, however, they are more 
Bterile, owing to the deficiency of water ; but yet they afford numerous invit- 
ing spots. 

A considerable extent of country, south of the South Fork of the river 
above named, is arid and stei ile, and has but few streams of water. It sus- 
tains, however, among its hills and in its valleys, a sparse vegetation that 



EXTRAORDINARY PRODUCTIVENESS. 24« 



might be turned to a favorable account for grazing purposes. Only about 
one fourth of this country is adapted to other uses than stock-raising. 

Further south from the head-waters of die Tulare and del Piumas, rang 
ing between the coast and the high rollhig lands skining the base '^f the 
California Mountains to the boundary of the Lower Province, a section of 
gently undulating prairie, now and then varied with high hills and some- 
times mountains, aifords a rich soil, generally consisting of dark, sandy 
loam, between the hills and in the valleys ; the higlilands present a super- 
fice of clay and gravel, fertilized by decomposed vegetable matter, well 
adapted to grazing, and about one half of it susceptible of cultivation. 

Timber is rather scarce, except at intervals along the watercourses and 
occasional groves among the hills ; but along the coast dense forests are 
frequently found claiming trees of an enormous size. 

But, one grand defect exists in its general aridity, which renders neces- 
sary a resort to frequent irrigation in the raising of other than grain pro- 
ducts. In some parts, the abundance of small streams v/ould cause this 
task to become comparatively an easy one ; and the profuseness of dews 
in sections contiguous to the rivers in some measure answers as a substi- 
tute for rain. 

The bottoms are broad and extensive, yielding not only the most extraor- 
dinary crops of clover and other grasses, but incalculable quantities of wild 
*>ats and flax of spontaneous growth, with all the wild fruits natural to the 
climate. 

In returning to the Sacramento and the rivers which find their dischar- 
ges in the Bay of San Francisco, we have before us the most interesting 
and lovely part of Upper California. 

The largest valley in ihe whole country is that skirting the Sacramento 
and lateral streams. This beautiful expanse leads inland from the Bay of 
San Francisco for nearly four hundred miles, almost to the base of the Cal- 
ifornia Mountains, and averages between sixty and sixty-five miles in 
width. 

The valleys of the del Plumas and American Fork are also very large, 
and that of the Tulare gives an area of two hundred and fifty miles long 
by thirty-five broad. 

These valleys are comparatively well timbered with several varieties of 
wood, consisting principally of white-oak, live-oak, ash, cottonwood, cherry, 
and willow, while the adjacent hills afford occasional forests of pine, cedar, 
fir, pinion, and spruce. 

The soil as well as the climate is well adapted to the cultivation of ajl 
kinds of grain and vegetables produced in the United States, and many o:' 
the varied fruits of the torrid and temperate zones can be successfully rear- 
ed in one and the same latitude. 

Among the grains, grasses, and fruits indigenous to the country are 
wheat, rye, oats, flax, and clover, (white and red,) with a great variety of 
grapes, all of which are said to grow spontaneously. 

Wild oats frequently cover immense spreads of bottom and prairie land, 
sometimes to an extent of several thousand acres, which resemble in ap- 
pearance the species common to the United States. They usually grow tc 
a height of between two and thi'ee feet, though they often reach a heigbi 
•f Mven feet. 



244 6E0L0GY AND MINERALS 

The wild clover of these valleys is much like the common red, and, 1b 
some places, is afforded in great abundance. It attains a usual height of 
two feet and a half, though it often measures twice that height-— standing 
as thick as it can well grow. 

Forty bushels per acre is said to be the average wheat crop, but sixty 
and even one hundred bushels have beon grown upon a Uke spot of groundf. 
This grain generally reaches its maturity in three or four months from 
tlie time of sowing. 

Corn yields well, and affords an average of from fifty to sixty bushels 
per acre, without farther attention from the time of planting till picking. 
Potatoes, onions, beets, carrots, &c., may be produced in any quantity with 
very little trouble. Tobacco has also been raised by some of the inhabit- 
ants with most flattering success. 

Perhaps, no country in the world is possessed of a richer or more fruit- 
ful soil, or one capable of yielding a greater variety of productions, than 
the valleys of the Sacramento and its tributaries. 

The articles previously noticed are more or less common to the bottoms 
and valleys of other sections. Grapes abound in the vicinity of most of 
the creeks, which afford generous wines and delicious raisins in immense 
quantities. 

The climate is so mild that fires are needed at no season of the year for 
other than cooking purposes. By aid of irrigation, many kinds of vegeta- 
bles are fresh-grown at any time, while two crops of some species of 
grain may be produced annually. 

Flowers are not unfrequently in full bloom in mid winter, and all nature 
bears a like smiling aspect. In this, however, we of course refer only to 
the low-lands and valleys. 

The traveller at any season of the year may visit at his option the frosts 
and snows of eternal winter, or feast his eyes upon the verdure and beauty 
of perennial spring, or glut his taste amid tlie luxuriant abundance and rich 
maturity of unending summer, or indulge his changeful fancy in the en- 
joyment of a magnificent variety of scenery as well as of climate, soil, 
and productions. 

The only rains incident to this country fall during the months of De- 
cember, January, February, and March, which constitute the winter; at 
other times rain is very rarely known to fall. Perhaps, for one third of the 
four months before named, the clouds pour down their torrents without in- 
termission ; the remaining two thirds afford clear and delightful weather. 

During the wet season the ground in many parts becomes so thoroughly 
saturated with moisture, particularly in the valley of the Sacramento, 
that, by the aid of copious dews to which the country is subject, crops may 
be raised without the trouble of irrigation ; though its general aridity con- 
■titutes the greatest objection to California. 

Of its geological and mineralogical character little is yet known. The 
prevailing rock is said to be sandstone, mica slate, gianite, trap, basalt, 
puddingstone, and hmestone, with occasioua] beds of gypsum. Among 
its minerals as commonly reported, are found gold, silver, iron, coal, and a 
variety of salts. The mineral resources of the country have not been as 
yet fully investigated to any great extent, but the mountains ^n different 
partVy 9ii supposed to he rich in hidden stores. 



GREAT ABUNDANCE OF STOCK. 245 

To speak of Western California as a whole, it may be pronounced hilly, 
if not mountainous, and about two thirds of it is probably fit for agricultu- 
ral purposes. 

The creeks are frequently immured by precipitous walls of several hund- 
red feet in altitude, that, expanding here and there, give place to beautiful 
valleys of variable width, while most of the low-lands upon their banke 
are skirted by continuous and abrupt acclivities leading to the high prai- 
ries, table lands, and mountains contiguous to them. Their currents are 
geneially clear and rapid, flowing over beds of sand, pebbles, and rock, and 
aflbrd wholesome and delicious Vv'-ater. 

The air is almost invariably pure and free from the noxious exhalations 
c^aramon to many countries, which contributes greatly to render the climate 
uniformlyhealthy— a character which it has hitherto sustained by common 
report. 

Some travellers, however, speak of large Indian villages in difierent 
parts, deserted and in ruins, v/hose sites are bestrewn with human bones 
and sculls, as if the entire population had been swept oiT by the frightful 
ravages of deadly pestilence, and so suddenly that not a soul was left to 
bury their dead ; and hence they suppose the country occasionally subject 
to devastating sicknesses. The above, however, may with equal propriety 
be charged to the account of war. 

Game is quite plentiful in the Western Division of Upper California, 
and in many places extremely abundant, especially in the mountains 
near the head-waters of the Tulare and Sacramento rivers. 

Among the different varieties are enumerated deer, (black-tailed and 
white-tailed,) elk, antelope, goats, bear, (black, red, and grizzly,) beaver, 
geese, brants, ducks, and grouse, with wild horses and cattle ; — bufl^o 
are unknown to the Province. 

Never was a country better adapted to stock-raising than is this, and 
perhaps none, according to the number of its inhabitants, ?o abundantly 
supphed with horses, cattle, and sheep. The former of these abound in 
counties.; numbers, whenever a .white man or a Spanio-Mexican makes it 
his residence. A single individual frequently owns from eight to ten thou- 
sand head of horses and mules ; and, not rarely, even as high as fifteen or 
twenty thousand. 

These anima.s a:e very hardy and trim-built, and only a trifle smaller 
than those common to the United States. I have seen many of them equal- 
ly as large as the American breed, and, as a general thing, they are more 
durable under fatigue and hardship. 

The choicest animals from a band of several thousand may be purchas- 
ed for ten dollars, and the ordinary price for prime selections ranges from 
three to five dollars, while mares may be procured for two dollars per head. 

Cattle are equally plenty, at prices varying from two to four dollars per 
head. 

Stock is raised without trouble, as the abundance of grass aflbrds pas- 
turage the entire season, nor is necessary a resort to either hay or house. 
In fact, botli cattle and liorses not only thrive best but are fattest in the 
winter season, owing to the absence of flies and insects, as well as the 
partial freshness of vegetation. 

The common method of stock-raising is by turning them loose into th« 
21* 



246 PRINCIPAL TOWNS. 



bottoms and prairies, accompanied by a herdsman, or two, or more, a la 
Mexican^ (according to the size of the band,) where they are left to in- 
crease, and no further care is bestowed upon tiiem. 

Sheep too are raised in vast numbers after tlie above manner. They in- 
crease with astonishing- rapidity, and usually produce their young twice a 
year. Their wool, however, is much coarser tiian that grown in the 
United States. This latter fact is accounted for by their inferiority of 
breed, though their flesh is sweeter and better than the American mut- 
ton. 

Wolves are said to be numerous and troublesome, and not unfrequently 
prove a source of great annoyance to the inliabitants by destroying their 
sheep, calves, colts, and even full-grov/n cattle and horses. 

Among them are included the black, gray, and prairie wolf. The black 
wolf is the largest and most ferocious, equalhng the size of our common 
cur-dog. 

Foxes are also said to be numerous, but are of a diminutive size. The 
above are the only beasts of prey worth naming. 

The foregoing summary leads us to notice the present state of the 
country, its inhabitants, government, and milittiry strength. 

Upper California at the present time is in the united possession of 
the Indians, Mexicans, English, and French ; not as rulers, but as 
land-holders and inhabitants. 

The Indians are supposed to number some thirty or forty thousand 
■ouls, and are scattered over the entire Province. Excepting the Dig- 
gers, the UtahK, the Snakes, and those residing in the vicinity of the 
Sierra Nevada and the Tiameth Mountains, they are quite similar in 
character and condition to those noticed as being residents of the Gila 
and adjacent regions. 

They are mild and timorous, and incapable of opposing any very se- 
rious impediment to the progress of settlements. Fifteen Americans, 
armed with good rifles, are equal to one or two hundred of such ene- 
mies in ordinary cases. 

The Catholics have tv/enty or more missions among them, tlie eflect 
of which has been not so much to advance their civilization, or convert 
them to the trutlis of Christianity, as to render them the slaves of a cor- 
rupt and vicious priesthood. 

Monterey is the present capital of Upper California. It is beautifully 
situated upon a gently undulating plain, in full view of the Ocean and 
harbor, and contains about one thousand inhabitants. Its houses are 
constructed of adubies, after the Mexican fashion. 

South of this town are several other places of considerable impor- 
tance along the coast, viz : San Diego, San Gabriel, snd San Barbara ; 
all of which are well located for commercial purposes. 

A town called the Pueblo is situated upon a small river that debouches 
between San Diego and San Gabriel. This town is a few miles removed 
from the coast, and is said to bo the largest one in California. It containi 
a population of about fifteen hundred, and is the grand centripot of over- 
land intercourse with New Mexico. 

Above Monterey are two other towns, bearing the names of Sonoma uid 
tS&n Francisco 




Mexican Indians. — Page 246, 



WHAT THE BESULT mLL BE 249 

The latter is situated upon the bay of that name, and, from its superior 
commercial advantages, is destined to become one of the largest and meet 
Important business cities upon the western coast of the American conti- 
nent. Possessed of one of the finest and most conmiodious harbors in the 
world, (emphatically the harbor of harbors,) and located at the mouth of 
a large navigable river, that waters a vast expanse of country unsurpass- 
ed in fertility, what should hinder it from assuming that commanding po- 
sition designed for it by nature 1 

It is built after the English manner, and its inhabitants, numbering 
about two hundred, are principally American, Enghsh, and French, with 
1 few Mexicans and Indians. 

There are also several settlements upon the Sacramento and other 
rivers, consisting mostly of foreigners. 

The Catholic missions are generally the nitcleus of small Mexican and 
Indian villages, and derive their support from agricultural pursuits. 

Aside from these, the country is entirely devoid of population other than 
wild beasts and uncultivated savages. The white inhabitants are com- 
puted at one thousand or more, and are generally Americans ; while be- 
tween ten and twelve thousand Mexicans curse the country with their 
presence, and disgrace the Edens they possess. 

The government of California has been, like all Mexican governmental 
very lax and inefficient. It was but little other than a despotism, or, ra- 
ther, a complicated machine for the oppression of the people and the perxer* 
Hon of justice ! and infiuitely worse than none. 

Whether the late revolution has produced a better order of things re- 
mains to be detennined ; but, one fact is worthy of notice — no permanent 
reformation can be effected so long as Mexicans exercise any controlling 
influence in the administration of the laws ; and, to speak plainly, not un- 
til the government is placed in other and better hands. 

The Mexicans occupy eight military stations at different points along 
the coast, garrisoned by about three hundred and fifty soldiers, and mount- 
ing some fifty pieces of artillery. The largest of these fortifications is at 
Monterey. This post is garrisoned by two hundred soldiers, and twelve 
pieces of canon — while the fort at New Helvetia, held by the Americans^ 
mounts an equal number. 

In case of an emergency, it is supposed the wliole Mexican force might 
possibly amount to between ten and eleven hundred men — in efficiency 
nearly equal to a party of one hundred and fifty well-armed Americans. 

It wtII be seen at a mere glance, th:it Mexico cannot maintain her hold 
upon California for many years to come. Emigrants from the United States 
and other comitries, attracted by its fertile soil and healthful climate, will 
continue to pour into it with increased ratio, until, by outnumbering the 
degraded race that at present bears sway, this delightful portion of the globe 
shall of necessity become either the dependencjr of some foreign power or 
assume a separate and distinct existence as an independent nation. 



250 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

Viffltors at Uintah —Adventures of a trapping party.— The Munchies, or white In(L 
ana ; some actonnt of them. — Amusements at rendezvous. — Mysterious city, and 
attempts at its exploration, — speculation relative to its inhabitants.— Leave for Fort 
Hall. — Camp at Bear river. — Boundary between the U. Stales, and Mexico. — 
Green valleys, &c. — Country en route. — Brown's-hole. — (Geological observations. 
Soda, Beer, and Steamboat springs ; their peculiarities. — Mmerals. — Valley of Bear 
river; its fertility, timber, and ahimdance of wild fruit. — Buffalo berries — Superior 
advantages of this section. — Mineral tar. 

Our stay at the Uintah was prolonged for some ten days. The gentle- 
man in charge at this post spared no pains to render my visit agreeable, 
and, in answer to enquiries, cheerfully imparted all the information in his 
possession relative to the localities, geography, and condition of Jie sur- 
rounding country. 

A trapping party from the Gila came in soon after our arrival, bringing 
with them c lich quantity of beaver, which tliey had caught during the pre- 
ceding winter, spring, and summer upon the affluents of that river and tlie 
adjacent mountain streams. They had made a successful hunt, and gave 
a glowing description of the country visited, and the general friendliness of • 
its rntiabitaiils. 

The natives, in some parts of their range, had never before seen a white 
man, and, after the.first surprise had subsided, treated them witlt great de- 
ference and respect. These simple and liospitable people supplied them 
with corn, beans, and melons, and seemed at all times well disposed. 

The only difficulty encountered with them took place upon one of the 
northern tributaries of the Gila. Two or three butcher-knives and other 
little articles being missing from camp, tjie trappers at once accused the 
Indians of stealing, and demanded their prompt restoration. The latter 
they were either unable orutuviiling to do, and thereupon a volley of rifleiy 
was discharged among the promiscuous throng, with fatal effect. Several 
were killed and others wounded, and the whole troop of timorous savages 
immediately took to their heels, nor dared to return again. 

In narrating the events of their long excursion, an account v/as given of 
visiting the Munchies, a tribe of white Indians. 

What added m.uch to tiie interest I felt in this part of their story, was the 
recollection of an article wliich Vv'ent the newspaper rounds several years 
since, stating the existence of sucli a tribe. I had disbelieved it at the time ; 
but thi^,and subsequent corroborative evidence, has efTectually remov(;d from 
my nund all doubts upon tlie subject. 

Our trappers iiad remained with the Munchies for four weeks, and spoke 
of theni in high terms. 

In reference to tlieii color they were represented p.s being of a much 
feiirer complexion than Europeans generally, a thing easily explained i"" <vf 
uamember ihia one fact, i. e., my informants must hav« gpoken compaift" 



WHITE INDIANS. 261 

Mvely, taking themselves as the true representatives of that race, when in 
reality their own color, by constant exposure to the weather, had acquired 
a much darker hue than ordinary; then drawing theii conclusions from a 
false standard, they were led to pronounce the fair natives much fairer, as 
a body, than the whitest 

By information derived from various sources, 1 am enabled to present the 
following statement relative to this interesting -people : 

The Munchics are a nation of whife aborigines, actually existing in a 
valley among the Sierra de los Mimbros chain, upon one of the affluents rf 
the Gila, in the extreme northwestern part of the Province o: Sonora. 

They iiumber about eight hundred in all. Their country is su rounded 
by lofty mountains at nearly every point, and is weh watered and very fer- 
tile, thougli of hmited extent. Their dwellmgs are spaciou • apartments 
nicely excavated in the hill-sides, and are frequently cut in the sohd 
rock. 

They subsist by agriculture, and raise cattle, horses, and sheep. Theii 
features correspond with those of Europeans, though with a complexion, 
perhaps, somewliat fairer, and a form equally if not more graceful. 

Among them are many of the arts and comforts of civilized life. They 
spin and weave, and manufacture butter and cheese, with many of the lux- 
Uiies known to more enlightened nations. 

Their political economy, though much after the patriarchal order, is purely 
republican in its character. The old men exercise the supreme control in 
the enactment and execution of laws. These laws are usually of the most 
simple form, and tend to promote the general welfare of the community. 
They are made by a concurrent majority of the seniors in council, — each 
male individual, over a specified age, being allowed a voice and a vote. 

, Questions of riglit and wrong are heard and adjudged by a committee 
solscted from the, council of seniors, who are likewise empowered to redress 
the iiijured and pass sentence upon the criminal. 

In morals tljey are represented as honest and virtuous. In religion they 
differ but little irom other Indians. 

They are strictly men of peace, and never go to war, nor even, as a com- 
mon thing, oppose re^^istance to the hostile incursions of surrounding na- 
tions. On the appearance of an enemy, they immediately retreat, with their 
cattle, horses, sheep, and other valuables, to mountain caverns, fitted at all 
Jtimes for their reception, — where, by barricading tlie entrances, tliey are at 
once secure Vvdthout a resort to arms. 

Jn regard to their origin they have lost all knowledge or even tradition, 
(a thing not likely to have happened had they been the progeny of Europeans 
at any late period, — that is, suace the time of Columbus ;) neither do their 
characters, manners, customs, arts, or government savor of modern En 
rope. 

^ Could a colony or party of Europeans in the short period of three centu- 
ries and a hah' lose all trace of their origin, religion, habits, arts, civilization* 
&nd government ? Who, for a moment, would entertain an idea so estranged 
to probabil" ty ? 

And yet the Munchies cannot be real Indians, — they must be of Euro- 
pean doRcent, though circumstances other tlian complexion aflcni no evi 



262 THE Wr\ STERTOUS tTlTf. 



dence of identity with either race. Where, then, shall we place them ?— 
from whence is thc^re origin ? 

We are forced to admit the weight of circumstantial testimony as ^o 
their having settled upon tiiis continent prior to its discovery by Columbus. 
Here we are led to inquire, are they not the remote doscendante of somo 
colony of ancient Romans ? 

That such colonies did here exist in former ages, there is good reason 
for believing. The great lapse of time and other operative causes combined, 
may have transformed the Munchies from the habits, customs, character, 
rehgion, arts, civilization, and language of the Romans, to the condition io 
which they are at present found. 

Among the visitors at the Fort were several old trappers who had passed 
fifteen or twenty years in the Rocky Mountains and neighboring countries 
They were what mighty with propriety, be termed " hard cases." 

The interval of their stay was occupied in gambling, horse-racing, an^ 
other like amusements. 

Bets were freely made upon everything involving the least doubt,- -some 
times to the amount of five hundred or a thousand dollars — the stakes con 
Beting of beaver, horses, traps, &c. 

Not uii frequently the proceeds of months of toil, suffering, deprivation 
Itr.d danger, were dissipated in a few hours, and the unfortunate gamester 
left without beaver, horse, trap, or even a gun. In such cases they borf 
feicir reverses without grumbling, and relinquished all to the winner, as un 
t .Ticernedly us though these were affairs of every-day occurrence. 

These veterans of the mountains were very communicative, and fond of 
I rkting their adventures, many of which were so vested with the marvel- 
€ ?s as to involve in doubt their credibility. 

Were it not for extending the limits of this work too far, I should be 
Ijaipted to transcribe the choicest of them for the reader's amusement; but, 
1 2 it is, I fjannot refuse place to one (here for the first time related in my 
I taring, v/hich has subsequently reached me from other sources) relative 
I i a subject deeply interesting to the curious. 

Stevens, in his *' Incidents of Travel in Yucatan," admits it to be quite 
ISMsible tliat cities like those in ruins at Uxmal and Palenque, may yet 
t»8t in the unexplored parts of the Mexican Republic, and be inliabited by 
t people m all respects similar to that once occupying the before named. 

Those acquainted with the nature of the country embraced in the moun- 
tainous portions ol iMexico, must admit the possibility of such a thing. 
Witli this premise I give, the story as I heard it. 

Five or six years since, a party of trappers, in search for beaver, penetiated 
mto an unfrequented part of tlie mountains forming the eastern boundary 
•f Sonora. 

During their excursion they ascended a lofty peak that overlooked an ex- 
tensive valley, apparently enclosed upon all sides by impassable mountains. 
At a long distance down the valley, by aid of a spy-glass, they could 
plainly disUnguish houses and people, with every indication of a populous 
tiiy 
^ At Uie p«&0 troai whence thit diicovery wu mftd*, the moiuitAiA-«id« 



ITS LNHABITANTS, VmO? ^53 

facing the valley was a precipitous wall of vertical rock, several hundred 
f^t to its base, rendering a descent impossible. 

After trying at other places, with like ill-success, they were at length 
cotnpelled to relinquish the design of further investigation for the time 
being. 

Subsequently, on visiting Arispie, a town of Sonora, several foreigners 
were induced to join them in a return expedition, and a company of some 
twenty or twenty-five repaired to the place for the purpose of prosecuting 
a research so interesting. 

On arriving at the mountain from whence the object of their curiosity 
had been first seen, there lay before them the valley and city witli its domes 
and palaces, amid which a swarming population was distinctly observed, 
apparently engaged in the prosecution of their various avocations. There 
CO aid be no doubt of its reality, but how to reach it was the next question. 

A number of days were occupied in vain search for a pass into the val- 
ley. The creek upon which it lay was found to emerge from the vast 
enclosure, through the mountain, by a frightful chasm formed of vertical 
rocks upon -each :iide, for hundreds and even thousands of feet in altitude. 
The current was rapid, and interrupted by frequent falls that precluded the 
possibility of a passage up its bed. They crossed it, and, finding a con- 
venient slope, again ascended the mountain. 

On reaching tlie summit, a counterscarp was observed, where, by dint 
of great exertion, a descent could be effected ; but not with horses. 

Arrangements were made accordingly, and one half of the party remained 
with the animals and baggage, while tlie others, continuing the exploration, 
finally succeeded in entering the valley. 

Meanwiiiie, the movements of the advancing party were viewed with 
great anxiety by those in reserve. In the course of the succeeding day 
5iey were seen to enter the city and mingle among its inhabitants ; but, 
alter that, ihey were never again seen or heard of. 

Three weeks elapsed and no sign of tliem appeared. At length their 
companions were forced by hunger to leave the spot and abandon them to 
their fate. 

Another attempt to explore this mysterious locality is reported to have 
been made by a company of Spaniards, some of whom penetrated the val- 
ley, but never returned. 

Tiie site of this city, if the story of its existence be true, is undoubtedly 
tlie bed of an ancient lake, whose waters have become gradually drained 
by a forced passage through the mountain, thus forming the chasm and 
«reek above noticed. 

The people inhabiting it are probably from the stock of original Mexicans,* 
Twho sought tins as a secure retreat from the terror of Spanish oppression 

* Barun Humboldt and some other travellers speak of quite extensive ruins in the 
vicinity of the Gila, which are attributed to a different race of people from those 
now inhabiting that country, or even the ancient Mexicans. Some of them are rep- 
resented as beiniT in a tolerable state of preservation, particularly one, which is knows 
as the ** cassa grand." No reasonable conjecture as to their origin has yet been ad- 
duced. If they are not the ruhied fabrics of ancient Mexican grandeur, to whou 
are we to look for their parentage ? 

The divenity of character between them and those of Uxmal, Falaoaua^a] 
22 



264 A MINIAITUKE OCEAN. 

in the time of Cortez; since whidi their posterity have lived here unknowB 
to tlie rest of the world. 

Taught by tlie bitter experience of past ages to hate and distrust ihe 
white man, and still cherishing their traditionary animosity, they pennit 
none of that race to return v/ho visit thein, iind, from the peculiarity of 
their position and jealous caution, have succGssfuUy maintained an uninter 
nipted in cog* 

Several trappers rendezvoused at tlie Uintah being about to leave foi 
Fort Hall, on tlie head waters of the Columbia river, I improved ttie oppor 
tunity of bearing them company. 

My necessary arrangements were completed simply by exclianging horses] 
and, on the mormng of Oct. 29th, I bade farewell to my new acqua'iitances 
at the Fort, and joined the party en roule, which, including myself and 
compagnona de voyage iiom Fort Lai^caster. numbered eleven in all, well 
mounted and armed. 

The weather proved delightful considering the lateness of the season, 
and our journey was rapid and uninterrupted. 

On leaving the Uintah we continued northward, over a rough country, for 
some twenty-five miles, and passed the night at Ashley's Fork,* with a 
small village of Snake Indians. 

Resuming our course through a mountainous region, diversified by beauti- 
ful little valleys, late in the afternoon of the third d:\y we camped in the 
vicinity of Brov/n's-liole. 

Bearing from thence a southwesterly course, tv/o days afterwards we 
arrived at Bear river, and obtained, from an. adjoining eminence, a distant 
view of the Great Salt Lake. 

Continuing down the river a fcW miles, we struck camp, and remained 
some three days for the purpose of hllntin^^ 

Being unwilling to leave the vicinity without a more perfect observation 
of this vast inland sea. I improved the interval for that purpose, and, in a 
few hours' ride, came to a point which overlooked its briiiy waters and 
spread out before me an object of so much interest to all beholders. 

Its whilom waves now lay slumbering upon its bosom, for not a breath 
of air stirred to awake them from their transient repose, save that caused 

mined cities of Central America, puzzle? us slill more ; and, as the feeble ray of con' 
jecture is the only source from whence light may he thrown upon thir! mysterious sub- 
ject, we woultl prefer the suggestion, that the progenitors of the IMunciiies, or wliite 
Indians, might have been tiieir l>uiltJers ; or, ii' the reported exiblenre of the city of 
the mountains as stated in the text be true, might not tlie ancestors of the peojde n(>\v in- 
habituig it have had some liand in their oricinal construction T Btit, if the latter be 
the case, and these relics are not the pro<iuct of Mexican civilization, the question 
yet remains unanswered, viz : who are the residents of that city and wlience is 
thair origin ? 

♦This stream is named in memory of Gen. Ashley, of Mo., who, wluJe engaged in 
the fur trade, attempted to descend the Colorado in boats, tliinking thus to reach St 
Louis by a direct water communication ! However, he was compelled to relinquish 
his strange enterprise at the month of this creek, <iv -count of the difficulty and 
dttOffer attMidani, tipon a further progress 



6KANDUES JkXD LOTELOIEM. 2fid 

fcy the flutterings of countless water-fowls which beskimmed the crjital 
biBe or rode npon its surface. 

No sound disturbed the stillness of its solitude, save tliat of my own 
footateps Gommingling with the incessant chatter of aquatic birds. In 
solemn grandeur it lay before the eye a desert of waters, bounded upon 
three sides by the curving horizon, while from the fourth a beautiful ex- 
panse of verdancy smiled upon its solitude. 

The island with its lone mountain, of which I have spoken in a former 
chapter, arose in full view, apparently a short distance to the southwest. 
It was a grand and imposing spectacle, and I much regretted the impossi- 
bihty of reaching it. Its giant piles of naked rock and sun-baked clay, 
seemed scanningthe surrounding waves, to smile upon their soft blandish- 
ments or frown at their rudeness. 

But the Island, the Lake, and the country contiguous, have been fully 
described in former pages, which of right precludes a further notice at thii 
time. 

On resuming our coarse we continued up Bear river to tlie famous minh 
eral springs, — thence bearing a northwesterly direction, we arrived at Fort 
Hail late in the afternoon of Nov. 9th. 

The route from Uintah to this point presents many interesting localitiei 
gome of which call for more tlian a mere passing notice. That situate 
upon Green river, known as Brown's-hole,* coming first in order, seems 
to assert a merited precedence. 

Descending by a steep, difficult pass from the west, fifty miles north of 
Ashley's Fork, the ti'avelier is ushered into a beautiful valley, some fifteen 
miles long by ten broad, shut in upon all sides by impassable mountains 

• This locality has received the soubriquet of Bro^vn*s-hoIe from the following cir- 
Burastance : 

Some six or seven years since, a trapper, by tiie name of Bro\vTi, came to it in the 
fell season for tiie purpose of himiing in its vicinity. During his stay a fell of enow 
closed the passes so effectually, he was forced to remain tili the succeeding spring 
before he could esca}^>e from liis lonely prison. 

It was formerly a favorite resort for the Snake Indians, on accoimt of its exhaust- 
less stores of game and wild fruits, as well as its security from the approach of ene> 
mies. 

I^OTK.- "Taking latitude 42'^ north as the northern boundai7 between Oregon and 
California, these iritert stiiig regions of country are embraced within tlie limits of the lat- 
ter; but taking the hearl-waters of the Arkansas as the true point, and thence, by a 
Une running due west to the Pacific, nearly the whole of it will be found within the 
United Stales. 

Thd treaty with Spain in 1819, defining this bomidary, which was subsequently 
confirmed by Mexico,, after noting Red river as the northern boundary of its eastern 
province.^, to longitude 100° west from Greenwich, and thenc* north to the Arkansaa, 
uses the following words : , 

" Thence, follow uig the course of the south bank of the Arkansas to its soub.cs« 
in latitude 42'^ north, thence by that parallel of latitude to the South Sea." 

If the source of the Arkansas, by its south bank, is in lat. 42° north, then the mat- 
ter of boundary admits of no question ; but if it is not in that parallel of latitude, 
ibould the latter be regarded as the true boundary, when it is evident, from the words 
ftf the treaty that the soiu-ce of the Arkansas 6y its south bank, was the intended 



256 nciNmr or bear river. 

that guard it from the world without. The only feasible entrance if 
upon the east side through a remarkable canon sixty yards wide, formed bv 
craggy rocks six or eight hundred feet in altitude, succeeded by a still 
narrower and more precipitous one, towering to a height of twelve or fifteen 
hundred feet. 

This valley is intersected by Green river, which, emerging from the lofty 
ridges above, and tracing its way through the narrow and frightful canons 
below, here presents a broad, smooth stream, fifty or sixty yards wide, with 
iloping banks, and passably well timbered. 

Here all the various wild fruits indigenous to the country are found in 
ffieat abundance, with countless multitudes of deer, elk, and sheep. 

The soil is of a dark loam, very fertile and admirably adapted to cultiva- 
tion. Vegetation attains a rank growth and continues green the entire 
year. 

Spring wedded to summer seems to have chosen this sequestered spot 
for her fixed habitation, where, when dying autumn woos the sere frost and 
snow, of winter she may withdraw to her flov/er-garnished retreat and 
smile and bloom forever. 

The surrounding mountains are from fifteen hundred to two thousand 
feet high, and present several peaks where snow claims an unyielding do- 
minion year after year, in awful contrast with the beauty and loveliness 
that lies below. 

Few localities in the mountains are equal to this, in point of beautiful and 
romantic scenery. Every thing embraced in its confines iend.3 to inspire 
die beholder with commingled feelmgs of awe and admiration. 

Its long, narrow gate-way, walled in by huge impending rocks, for hun- 
dreds of feet in altitude, — the lofty peaks that surround it, clothed in eternal 
snow, — the bold stream traversing it, whose heaving b(3som pours sweet 
music into the ears of listening solitude, — the verdant lawn, spreading far 
and wide, garnished with blushing wild-flowers and arrayed in the habili- 
ments of perennial spring, — ail, all combine to invest it with an enchant- 
ment as soul-expanding in its subhmity as it is fascinating in its loveliness. 

The country contiguous to Bear river, back from the valleys, is generally 
rugged and sterile. Sometimes the surface for a considerable extent is 
entirely destitute of vegetation, and presents a dreary waste of rocks, or clay 
hardened to a stone-like consistency by the sun's rays. Nov/ and then a 
few dwarfish pines and cedars meet the eye amid the surrounding desola- 
tion, and occasional clusters of coarse grass intervene at favoring depres- 
sions among the rocks. 

FARTHEST northern extremity of Mexico, where the Une between the two countrie* 
shall commence, and thence run due west to the Pacific ? 

But, instead of being in lat. 42'^ north, the source of the Arkansas is in lat. 39* 
iiorlli, as indi.-putably ascertained from recent explorations, and thus an interval of 
three degrees occurs between the two points named in the above treaty ! 

If the United States are obligated by this treaty to receive the 42d degree as their 
■outhern boundary, Mexico is equally obligated to receive the parallel from the souroo 
of the Arkansas due west to the Pacific, as her true northern limitB ; thus, a tenitocy 
ti eleven hundred and twenty- five miles frota east to west, and neaxly one huodni 
■ad forty from north to south, u left unowned by eitiier party 1 



THE BUFFALO-BERRY. 267 

The landscape, as a whole, possesses a savage wDdness peculiar to itself, 
and bears strong indications of volcanic action. The mountains are not 
so high as those of other parts, but are far more forbidding in their aspect. 
The prevailing rock is lava, scoriated basalt, trap, bituminous limestone, 
and calcareous tufa. 

The valley of Bear river affords a number of springs strongly impreg- 
nated with various mineral properties, which cannot fail to excite the curi- 
osity and interest of the traveller. They are found upon the left bank of 
the stream, a short distance below a small affluent from the north. 

Two of them are situated in a small grove of cedars, within a short dis 
tance of each other. 

In passing their vicinity the attention of the traveller is at once arrested 
by the hissing noise they emit ; and on approaching to ascertain the cause, 
he finds two circular-shaped openings in the surface, several feet in diame- 
ter, and filled with transparent fluid in a state of incessant eflfervescence, 
caused by the action of subterranean gases. 

The water of the one he finds on tasting to be excellent natural soda, and 
that of the other, slightly acid and beer-like ; — the draught will prove deli- 
cious and somewhat stimulating, but, if repeated too freely, it is said to pro- 
duce a kind of giddiness like intoxication. These singular natural curios- 
ities are known among the trappers as the Beer and Soda springs, names 
not altogether inappropriate. 

A few hundred yards below these, is another remarkable curiosity, called 
the Steamboat spring. This discharges a column of mineral water from a 
rock-formed orifice, accompanied with subterraneous sounds like those pro- 
duced by a high-pressure steamboat. 

Besides the above-described, there are a number of others in this vicinity 
of equally mineral character, as well as several hot springs, varying in tem- 
perature from blood to that of extreme boiling heat. 

Bear river valley contains many wide spreads of most excellent land, 
susceptible of a high state of cultivation. In fertility it is unsurpassed, and 
varies in width from one and a half to three miles. 

The stream is not heavily timbered, but the scattering groves of pine and 
cedar among the adjoining mountains partially atone for any apparent defi- 
ciency. 

Towards its head, the hills upon either side are less rugged and barren, 
and present more frequent intervals of verdancy. 

I noticed a large number of fruit-bearing shrubs and bushes, including 
cherry, service, goose, and buffalo-berries, (two kinds,) with currants. 

The bushes of the buflTalo-berry were not as yet entirely divested of thei 
delicious burthen, and afforded a new variety of that fi-uit hitherto not havip 
come under my observation. 

This berry is about the size of and similar in shape to the common currant. 
There arc three kinds, — the white, yellow, and red, {shevherdia argentia.) 

The red i» of a slightly tartish taste, but not impleasant ; the yellow is 
somewhat less acid, but otherwise similar to the red ; the white, however, 
is most excellent tasted, and possesses a delicious sweetness which cause* 
it to be highly relished. 

This fruit has several small seeds in it, like those of the whortleberry, 
and grows upon a bush in shape and size quite like the common shrub-oaL 
22* 



»« FORT HALL, ETC. 



It produces in such immense quantities, that the parent bush is not xmfn 
quently flattened with its superincumbent weight. 

The grizzly bear delights to revel among the thickets of this his favoritt 
berry, and is almost certain to make from it his last autumn meal ere he re- 
tires to winter quarters and commences the long fast that follows. 

The valley of Bear river presents to emigrants many advantages. Pos 
sessed not only of a rich soil, well adapted to cultivation, and vast mineral 
resources, with natural curiosities that must ever make it a central point of 
attraction, but situated in the immediate vicinity of the prospective popula- 
tion of the Great Salt Lake and upon the the direct line of over-land inter- 
course between the United States, California, and Oregon, it must command 
for its future inhabitants a sure source of prosperity and wealth. 

There is little doubt of its eventually becoming the most important sec- 
tion of Southeastern Oregon. 

In descanting upon the natural curiosities of this valley, the trappers ac- 
companying me spoke of a spring further to the nortliward, which constantly 
emits a small stream of mineral tar, from the mountain-side, in no respect 
inferior to tlie manufactured article. However, I am not certain in regard 
to the locality of this interesting phenomenon. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

Fort Hall ; its liistorj', and locality. — Infontiation relative to Oregon. — Boundarie* 
and extent of the territory. — Its rivers and lakes, with a concise description of them 
severally, — Abundance and variety of fish and water-fowl. — Harbors and islands. — 
Oregon as a whole ; iti' mountains and geographical divisions. — Eastern Divison ; 

. its wild scenery, valleys, soil, and timber ; volcanic ravages ; country between 
Clarke's river and the Columbia. — North of the Columbia ; its general character. — 
Middle Division; its valleys, yjrairlei', highlands, and forests. — Western Division; 
a beautiful country ; extensive valleys of extraordinary fertility ; productive plains ; 
abundance of timber, its astonishmg tize and variety.— A brief summary of facts. 

Our journey from the Uintah to Fort Hall occupied twelve days, and took 
ns a distance of about two hundred miles. Most of this time the weather 
continued mild and pleasant; the only interval of inclemency was a single 
bleak andP^ftoudy day, succeeded by a slight fall of snow during the night, 
which the bright sunshine of the ensuing morning dissipated in a few mo- 
ments. 

Along the entire route wo found an abundance of green grass at sheltered 
places in the valleys, and also large quantities of game, especially black- 
tailed deer, bear, and elk. Bear are more numerous in this section tlian in 
any other I am acquainted with. 

Fort Hall is located upon the left bank of Snake river, or Lewis' Fork of 
the Columbia, in a rich bottom near the delta formed by the confluence of 
the Portneuf with that stream, in lat. 43'' 10' 30^' north, long. 112^20 
64 west. 



WCTURE OF OREGON AS IT 18. 259 

In general structure it corresponds with most of the other trading estab- 
lishments in the country. It was built by Capt. Wythe of Boston, in 1832, 
for the purpose of furnishing trappers with their needful supplies in ex- 
change for beaver and other peitries, and also to command the trade with 
the Snakes. Subsequently it was transferred to the Hudson Bay Company 
in whose possession it has since remained. 

Mr. Grant, a gentleman distinguished for his kindness and urbanity, is at 
present in charge, and has some sixty Canadians and half-breeds in his em- 
ploy. 

This post is in the immediate vicinity of the old war-ground between the 
Blackfoot, Snake, and Crow Indians, and was formerly considered a very 
dangerous locality on that account. Its early occupants were subject to 
frequent losses from the hostile incursions of the former of these tribes, and 
on two or three occasions came very near being burnt out * by their un- 
sparing enemies. 

The country in the neighborhood of Fort Hall affords several extensive 
valleys upon the Snake river and its tributaries, which are rich, well tim- 
timbered, and admirably adapted to the growth of grain and vegetables. 

The adjoining prairies also, to some extent, possess a tolerable soil, and 
abound in a choice variety of grasses. Back from the valleys and plains, 
the landscape is extremely rugged and mountainous, poorly timbered, and 
bears the character of general sterility. 

My stay at the Fort brought me in contact with gentlemen from various 
parts of Oregon, who kindly imparted to me all the information in their 
possession relative to the nature and true condition of tiiis interesting and 
highly important section of our national domain. With the data thus ob- 
tained, assisted by subsequent personal observation and intelligence derived 
from other sources, I am enabled to arrange the following brief outlines of 
its geography, geology, climate, and soil, including a description of its pro- 
ductions, inhabitants, natural advantages, inducements to emigrants, &c., 
which the reader may rely upon as strictly correct in every essential par- 
ticular. 

With the northern extremity of Bear river valley, the traveller enters the 
Boutheastern hmits of Oregon Territory. By referring to the map 
it will be seen that this country is bounded upon the north f by the British 
and Russian possessions, east by the Rocky Mountains, south by Upper 
California, and west by the Pacific. It is not my present purpose to argue, 
or endeavor to sustain, the claims of our Government to the wliole area em- 
braced in the above ; but conceiving the matter now settled, I shall proceed 
to the task in in hand without further preliminary. 

Oregon, hke California, is possessed of many important rivers and hap- 

• A. portion of the Fort was formerly constructed of wood; — it is now built of 
"adobies" hke other trading estabUshments of the country. 

t The treaty now in process of negotiation with Great Britain, relinquishes to that 
fovemment all above the 49th deg., and consequently admits its claims to the entirt 
BorUiem boundary, to wit : from 48^ to the Russian possessions. 



260 ALL ABOUT THE COLUMBIA RIVER. 

Dors, that, considering tlieir intimate relation to the general interest of com. 
rnerce, seem to demand our first attention. 

The Columbia and its branches water almost tne entire territory, and 
open a highway from the ocean to the lofty mountain ranges which form its 
eastern boundary. This river heads in lat. 52^ north, long. 119^ west from 
Greenwich, and, after pursuing a serpentine course for fifteen hundred oi 
two thousand miles, finds its discharge in the Pacific, at lat 46° north. 

One hundred and twenty miles of this distance are navigable for ships 
of the largest class, but the remainder of its course is interrupted by occa- 
sional rapids and falls, that render frequent portages necessary. 

The upper and lower " dalls" and " cascades," present the most serious 
impediments to navigation. The former of these, situated above Clarke's 
Fork, are caused by the passage of the Columbia through imiaense ledges, 
that leave huge vertical walls of basaltic rock upon either side, and corn- 
press its waters to a narrow, chasm-like channel. There, dashing and 
foaming in wild futy, the torrent rushes past its lateral dikes with frightful 
velocity. 

The distance between these two "dalls" is some thirty miles. 

The " cascades " lie at the base of a mountain range of the same name, 
one hundred and fifty miles from the Ocean. Near this place the whole 
stream is plunged over a precipice of fifty feet descent, forming a sublime 
and magnificent spectacle. 

Between the dails and cascades, a reach of high-lands, formed almost en- 
tirely of naked basalt, presents another barrier, through which the river 
forces itself by a tunnel-like pass for ten or fifteen miles, leaving vast mural 
piles upon the right and left, that attain an altitude of three hundred and 
fifty or four hundred feet. 

A few miles above the junction of the southern and middle forks of the 
Columbia, two considerable lakes have been formed by the compressure of 
its waters among the adjoining mountains. 

The first of these is about twenty miles long and six broad, shut in by 
high, towering hills, covered with stately pine forests. 

Emerging from this, the river urges its way through lofty embankments 
of -volcanic rock for some five miles or more, when a second lake is formed 
in a similar manner, which is about twenty-five miles in length and six in 
width. 

Note. — Capt. Fremont, in speaking of th>.i Columbia, makes use of the following 
y at observations : 

" The Columbia is the only river which traverses the whole breadth of the coimtry, 
breaking through all the ranges, and entering into the ::ea. Drawing its waters from 
E section of ten degrees of latitude in the Rocliv Mountains, which are collected 
into one stream by three mahi forks (Lewis', Clarke's, and the North Fork) near the 
centre oi the, Oregon valley, this great river thence proceeds by a single channel intt 
the sea, while itt> three forks lead each to a pass in the m:)untauis-, v^rhich opens this 
way into the ulterior of the conlinent. 

" This fact, in reference to the rivers of thi? region, gives an immense value to th« 
Columbia, hs mouth is the only inlet and outlet to and from the sea ; its three forka 
lead to passes in the mountains; it is, tiierefbre, the only line of communication be- 
tween the Pacific and the mterior of North America ; and all oneratioas of war or 
comnerce, of national or social intercourse, imiat be conducted upui it.'* 



OTHER iiiVERS OF THE TERRITORY. 261 

There are also several other lakes, of greatei or less extent, at diflerent 
points along its course. 

Perhaps no river in the world, of the same length, affords such varied 
and picturesque scenery as does the Columbia. 

Its lakes, tunnels, cascades, falls, mountains, rocky embankments, prairies, 
plains, bottoms, meadow^s, and islands, disclose an agreeable medley of wild 
romance, solemn grandeur, and pleasing beauty, far surpassing that of any 
other country. 

During its course it receives numerous tributaries, the most important of 
which are the Clarke, Flat-bow, Spokan, Okanagan, Snake, Yakama, Piscous, 
Entyatecoom, Umatilla, Quisnel, John Day, D'Chute, Cathlatates, Walla^ 
walla, Wallammette, and Cawlitz. 

The Clarke, Snake, and Wallammette rivers, seem to call for more than 
a bare allusion. 

The former of these rises in the Rocky Mountains, near lat. 46*^ north, and 
following its windings, is about five hundred and fifty miles in length. A 
lake, some thirty miles long and eight broad, is also formed in its course, 
about one hundred miles above its mouth. During its windings it receives 
a large number of afHuents, which unite to swell the volume of its waters 
to the full size of its parent stream. 

The Snake, or Lewis' Fork, is equally important. It rises in lat. 42** 
north, and, pursuing a northwesterly direction for five hundred miles, is 
discharged into the Columbia, at lat. 46° north. This river also receives 
several tributaries, the largest of which are the Kooskooskie and Salmon. 

The Wallamette heads in the Cascade Mountains, in Upper California, 
near lat. 41° north, and bears a northerly course for nearly three hundred 
and fifty miles. One hundred and twenty-five miles of this distance are 
navigable for boats ol a light draught. 

Several tributaries, both from the east and west, unite to increase its 
magnitude and enhance its importance. . 

The Umpqua, which is the next river worthy of notice below the Colum- 
bia, has its source in the Cascade Mountains, near lat. 43° north, and run- 
ning westerly for almost three hundred miles, is finally discharged into the 
Pacific. Some forty or fifty miles of this distance are said to be navigable. 

South of the Umpqua a stream of nearly equal size empties into the Pa- 
cific, called Rogue's river. This also rises in the Cascade Mountains, at 
lat. 42° north, and is said to be navigable for boats of a light draught, some 
^ seventy miles or more. 

The Chilkeelis is the first river north of the Columbia, and rises in the 
mountains, near lat. 48** north. Pursuing a westerly course, it discharges 
itself into the Pacific at Gray's Harbor, after flowing a distance of about 
two hundred and fifty miles. 

Fraser's river is the extreme northern one of Oregon. It heads in the 
Rocky Mountains, near lat 54° north, and empties into the Gulf of Georgia, 
at lat 49° north. In its course it receives several large tributaries, and 
pursues its way for a distance of about four hundred miles, eighty of which 
are navigable. 

Besides those above named, there are several other streams, of 'ess mag- 
nitude, emptying into the Pacific at various points along its coast, all of 



962 HARBORS ETC. 



i«rhich, as the country becomes settled, will contribute to the facilities of 
eomraerce and manufactures. 

The rivers of Oregon, in the abundance and quality of their fish, are 
unparalleled. At certain seasons of the year, their waters are completely 
alive vi^ith the countless myriads that swarm them to their very sources. 

Even the small streams are not exempt from this thronging population, 
So great is their number they are frequently taken by the hand ; and, with 
the aid of a net, several barrels may be caught at a single haul. It re- 
quires but little eflbft to obtain them, and large quantities are annually 
shipped to the Sandwich Islands and various other -points. 

Fish are undoubtedly der^tined to furnish an important item in the future 
commerce of Oregon. At the present time they supply the principal food 
of its inhabitants, both Indians and whites. Among the different varieties 
abounding in these streams, salmon and salmon trout claim the precedence, 
both in numbers and qualities. 

These delicious fish attain a size seldom surpassed, and are found in 
every accessible river and creek. The bays, harbors, and mouths of rivers 
are also thronged with cod, herring, sturgeon, and occasionally whales, 
while vast quantities of oysters, clams, lobsters, &c., may be obtained along 
the coast. 

Next to fish, in connection with the rivers, the extraordinary number of 
aquatic birds arrests the attention. These consist of geese, brants, ducks 
(of three or four varieties,) swans, pelicans, and gulls. 

At certain seasons, they throng the rivers, creeks, lakes, and ponds, at 
different parts, in innumerable multitudes, and not only keep the waters in 
constant turmoil from their nautic exercises and sports, but fill the air with 
the wild clamor of their incessant quackings. An expert sportsman may 
kill hundreds of them in a few hours. 

So abundant are they tlmt tlieir feathers may be obtained of the Indians 
in any requisite quantity, for a trifling consideration — in all respects equal, 
for bedding, to tliose procured from domesticated geese and ducks. 

In regard to harbors, the natural advantages of Oregon are not equal to 
those of California ; though, as the country becomes settled, the ingenuity 
of man will speedily atone for these apparent deficiencies ; and if she has 
not the matchless basin of the Bay of San Francisco, she has other locali- 
ties upon her sea-board that, with a small expenditure of money and eftbrt, 
may be made secure and adapted to all her commercial requirements. 

It is much to be regretted, however, that the Columbia afibrds not an 
"easy and secure entrance for ships trom the Ocean, as this will undoubted- 
.y become the most important point of the whole coast. 

At present, tlie mouth of this river, between Points Adams and Hancock, 
is partially blocked up by large sand-bars, deposited by the current, and 
maintained in their places through the repulsive action of the sea-waves. 

How far these impediments may operate to the future detriment of com- 
merce, remams to be seen. Unless some remedy should be adopted, the 
harbor of this great embryo depot of Western trade will continue to oppose 
a difiicult entrance. 

The estuaries of the Umpqua and Rogue riven are more difficult of -• 



GEOGRAPHICAL DIVISIONS. 26S 

eeis than the Columbia. It is even said, that there is not a good harbor on 
the coast of Oregon below lat. 46'^ north. Above this parallel there are 
several, not only easy of access but secure of anchorage ; the principal of 
which are those of the Straits of Juan de Fuca and the Gulf of Georgia. 
The islands of Vancouvre and Queen Charlotte* also possess a number of 
excellent harbors. 

These islands are large, well timbered, and generally fertile. Though, 
hke the mainland, quite broken and hilly, they embrace many Deautifu 
plains and lovely valleys, abounding with game, and coursed by ample 
streams of fresh water. Vancouvre's [sland is two hundred and sixty miles 
long by fifty in width, and Queen Charlotte's one hundred and forty by 
twenty-eight. In addition to the above named, there are a number of small- 
er islands near the Straits of Juan de Fuca — more important on account 
of their fisheries than the quality of their soil. 

The whole extent of the sea-coast, connected with the territory, (i. e. 
from California to the Russian possessions,) is about one thousand miles, 
besides that of its various islands. Reckoning from the above data, the 
area included within its limits is not far from nine hundred and two thou- 
sand, two hundred and fifty square miles. 

To speak of this vast country in toto, we could give no general character 
either in regard to its climate, soil, or productions, possessed, as it is, of 
every diversity, from the piercing frosts of perpetual winter, to the smiling 
verdancy of unfading spring — from the dwarfish herbage of the arctic re- 
gions, to the generous fruits of warmer zones — and from the barren steri- 
lity of a Lybian desert, to the exuberant fecundity of earth's choicest gar- 
den-spots. 

However, from the numerous peaks that rear their cloud-capped heads in 
almost every direction, and the continuous ridges intersecting it from side 
to side and from end to end, we might with safety pronounce it mountainous. 

The Rocky Mountains, forming its eastern boundary, branch off wester- 
ly and northwesterly at various points, and, in connection witli other ridges, 
beline the whole country. It is my present purpose merely to classify some 
the more extensive of these ranges, and note their locality, as auxiliary to 
a more accurate and comprehensive disposal of the leading subject before 
the reader. 

The Blue Mountain chain commences not far from 46*^ 30' north Jati 
tude, and bears a southerly course, till it passes into California and unites 
with the intersecting ridges of that province. It runs nearly parallel with 
the Rocky Mountains, at an interval varying from one hundred to one hun- 
dred and fifty mil;js, forming the Eastern Division of Oregon. 

The Cascade chain (before noticed, in connection with California) com- 
mences in the Russian posf=esfiion3, and pursue? fi soiitlierly course through 
botli countries, till it finally becomes lost in the sea-girt isthmus of the Lower 
Province. It runs parallel with the coast, at a distance varying from one 
hundred to one hundred and fifty miles, and defines the Western and Mid- 
dle Divisions of Oregon. 

* By the terms of the proposed treaty, the islands of Vancouvre and Queen Char 
lotte are transferred to Great Britain^ leaving only a few diminutive and comparative' 
ly valueless ports in the Straits of Juan de Fuca and in i«i«t» south of VaooouTWt 
within Um liiait* of the U. S. territory' 



264 A BEAimr SPOT. 



The country north of the Columbia is also traversed by numerous branch- 
es and spurs of the Rocky and Cascade Mountains, many of them present- 
ing- lofty pealfs, c.vcrcd with never-melting snow and ice. 

The mountaiji ranges before described, have many summits towering far 
above the snou-Jiiie. They are generally less sterile than the main chain 
of the Rocky Mountains, and, amid their snow-clad tops and denuded emi- 
nences, present alternate spreads of high table land and rolling prairie, 
clothed witli vegetation, and dense forests of pine, cedar, fir, and oak, or open- 
ing valleys arrayed in ail the enchantment of vernal loveliness. 

The Eastern, or Southeasterly Division of Oregon, partakes of a greater 
variety of wild and savage scenery, intermixed with beauty and desolation, 
than any other section in the whole territory. 

The valleys of Bear river and those parts contiguous to Fort Hall, have 
already been described on a preceding page, and all their varied attrac- 
tions fully descanted upon. Besides these, there are other valleys in the 
neighborhood of the South Pass, upon Little and Big Sandy, and the New 
Forks of Green river, that claim a passing notice. 

The valleys last referred to are of variable width and possess a fertile 
soil, adapted to either grazing or agricultural purposes, and assume an 
additional importance from their situation in reference to the grand routes 
from the United States to Oregon and California. They are capable of 
sustaining a small population with peculiar advantage, were it not for 
the troubles that might be anticipated from the hostile incursions of the 
Blackfeet and Sioux. 

Below Fort Hall, the valleys of Snake, or Lewis' river, are somewhat 
limited, but very fertile, though enclosed for the most part by denuded 
and sterile mountains. In the vicinity of Fort Boise, on the bank of 
Lewis' Fork, are several rich and extensive plams and valleys, more or 
less adapted to cultivation. 

The Kooskooskie and Salmon rivers, also, present some fine uottoms. 
Another beautiful valley is situated upon Powder river, a considerable 
creek, about forty miles below Fort Boise. It is large and very fertile, 
but lacks a sufficiency of timber without a resort to the dense pine forests 
of the neighboring hills. 

The next section that attracts the traveller's attention as he proceeds 
towards the Columbia, is a favored spot known as le Grand Rond, bound- 
ed on ail sides by mountains, in the vicinity of the Blue range. This 
locality is nearly circular, and about one hundred and fifty miles in cir- 
cumference, well watered and possesses a soil of matchless fertility.* 

* The foUowuig analysis of the soil of this valley, as fiirnished by Col. Fremont 
will *ttest its superior quality : 

Silicia 70, 81 

Alumnia • 10, 97 

Lime and magnesia • - • • • -.1, 38 

Oxade of iron 2, 21 

Vegetable matter partly decomposed - - ■ • 8, 16 

Water and loosa ..-••- 5, 46 

Phosphate of lime - ... 1, 01 



100,00 



JfOaTHERN PART. 265 

« .- O . ^.M -ll. O i— .-^- . i^i .-^-. - i.^ -..^^.-^ -^ . ~ - -. .«. . ■ , — — ^ » .. . ... . ^., 

l^ii^kfer of the best kind may be procured, in any quantity, from the ad- 
j^M^i'wg mountains, and, to a limited extent, from the valley. 

Tidppers speak of the Grand Rond with an enthusiasm which is cordi- 
ally responded lo by all who have hitherto visited it. So far as soil and 
climate are concernedj a better section of country than this is rarely 
found. 

Southeast from the place last described, sixty miles or more, lies a long 
stretch of desolate country which bears a strikingly volcanic appearance. 
This region is thickly paved with vast piles of lava and igneous rock, 
strown about in confused fragments, as if the mountains had been rent 
asunder and dashed in horrid medley upon the adjoining plains, and earth, 
itself, had undergone all the iiulescribable contorsions of more than 
agony, — now opening in frightful chasms, — now vibrating with unheard- 
of violence, oversetting hilis and rooting them from their foundations by 
the impetuosity of its iiiotion, or elevating half vertically, the immense 
layers of subterranean rock forming the valves of distorted fissures, and 
depressing the opposing ones in fnghiful contrast, — in haste to complete 
the picture of destrucucn by an imposing array of wild and savage scenery. 
Numerous boiling springs are also found among these wide-spread heaps 
of ruined nature whose waters are frequently so hot that meat may be 
cooked in a very few minutes by submersion in ihem. 

Several streams trace their way through this region, affording occasional 
bottoms of fertile soil and luxuriant vegetation, that smile with bewitching 
enchantment upon the relentless havoc surrounding tliem. 

Upon Clarke's river and its tributaries, as well as the numerous lakes 
adjacent to them, there are large quantities of excellent land, well adapted 
to agricultural and grazing purposes. The hills, too, are generally studded 
with dense forests of pine and fir, some of them of gigantic growth, while 
the intervning plateaux and high prairies present frequent intervals of 
lusty grasses. 

The same may be said, though in a more restricted sense, of most of the 
country lying between Clarke's river and the Columbia. 

The streams of water and lakes are most of them skirted with bottoms 
and valleys of greater or less extent, tolerably well timbered, while the 
neighboring hills afford frequent groves of heavy pines, diversified with 
openings of grass-clad prairies or of denuded barremiess. 
V Many interesting localities lie along the Columbia, above the confluence 
of Clarke's river, as well as upon the several tributaries finding their way 
into it. A tract of country circumjacent to the Lower Lake possesses a 
rich soil, with other advantages, which in due time will command the atten- 
tion of emigrants. 

The section lying still north of this is but Uttle better than a barren 
waste of frost and snow, with now and then choice spots of rank vegeta- 
tion and rich floral beauty, shut up in their stern recesses, in wonderful 
contrast with the savage sublimity and wild disorder of the masses of naked 
rock that surround them. 

Frasier's river has an extensive valley of excellent and well timbered 
land, skirting it in variable width, from mouth to source. The same may 
be said of many of its tributaries. The Chilkeelis, also, poeseBses man} 
choice spots. 

28 



266 THE WESTERN DIVISION. 

But, as a general thing, that portion of country north of the Columbia 
is the most worthless part of Oregon. 

A vast share of it is mere naked rock or deserts of ice and snow, with 
now and then dense forests of pine, cedar, and fir. The^e are, compara- 
tively, few arable prairies ; and not more than one half of the wliole extent 
can be turned to any useful purpose. Perhaps one sixth of it is suscepti- 
ble of cultivation. In fact, the only localities worthy of mention are the 
valleys scattered among the Claset and Cascade Mountains, and along the 
different rivers and creeks. 

The cause of this general sterility is more to be attributed to the severity 
of the climate, consequent upon a high northern latitude, combined with the 
broken and mountainous character of the country, tlian to any great natural 
deficiency of soil. Of course it can never become thickly populated. 

Its timber, fisheries, and facilities for manufactures, stock-raising, and the 
growth of wool, embrace its greatest inducements to emigrants ; though, 
in a commercial point of view, its extensive fur trade and commodious har- 
bors, with other kindred advantages, should not be overlooked. 

We now come to the Middle Division, or that section south of the Co- 
lumbia, between the Blue and Cascade Mountains. 

In this division of Oregon the face of the country is very much diversi- 
fied. As a whole, it presents a continued series of conical hills, huge mas- 
ses of rock, and undulating prairies, intermixed with lofty, cloud-capped 
peaks, shooting transversely from the ridges that form its eastern and west- 
ern boundaries. These mountains are usually clothed with rank vegeta- 
tion, and frequently present stately forests of valuable timber, particularly 
the Blue range. 

It also contains many extensive valleys of great fertility, situated among 
its mountains and upon the John Day, Quisnell, UmatiUa, D'Chute, and 
VVallawalla rivers, and their numerous affluents. 

The southern extremity lilvewise atibrds many fertile and extensive val- 
leys, but it is rather sparsely timbered. In the immediate vicinity of the 
Columbia, the lai.d is sandy and barren, though back from the river, the 
hills are tolerably rich and coated with heavy pine forests. 

Nearly the whole of this section may be considered available for agricul- 
jare and stock-raising. 

The Western Division next commands our attention. Below tlie Cas- 
cades, the country contiguous to the Columbia presents a vast extent of 
thickly timbered and extremely fertile bottom land, one hundred and twenty 
miles wide, interspersed with frequent openings of lusty vegetation. 

The forests of this section afford some of the largest and most beautiful 
pine and fir trees in the world. Its valleys, plains, and hills are Ukewise 
possessed of a most excellent soil, adapted to every practicable use. 

Above this, and bordering upon the Straits of Juan de Fuca are also 
large tracts of fine land, well watered, tiraljered, and lertile. 

Southward, towards the confines of California, the Umpqua and Rogue- 
rivers claim several very exteusive and iertile valleys and bottom lands. 
Upon the former of these are said to bi^ two, one jf vvhich i£ forty miles in 
lengtli by ten in width, and die other seventy by fifteen ; — upon the latter, 
is 000 eighty miles long, and varying from fifteen to fifty in width. 



MAGNIFICENT FOREST TREES. 267 



Besides the above mentioned, there are numerous other valleys, all of 
which are well timbered and of unparalleled fertility. - 

No country in tlie world affords a better soil, or a more romantic scenery. 
The mountains boundia<^ them rise in stately grandeur, oftentimes far above 
the clouds, to converse with the relentless snows of successive ages, — 
now presenting tlieir nude sitieis, paved with dark masses of frowning rocks, 
or proud forests of evergreen, verdant lawns, flowery dales, and sterile 
wastes, to overlook the perennial beauty and matchless fecundity at their 
feet, — while the lesser eminences with their deep ravines, o'erhanging 
clifls, and shadowy recesses, tell the place where the storm-winds recruit 
their forces and the zephyrs creep in to die. 

There are ako large valleys, of equally fertile soil, upon the head wateri 
of the Tlameth river, near the southern boundary, well worth the attention 
of emigrants. 

The m-ost interesting portion of the Western Division, however, is that 
bordering upon the Wallammette and its affluents. The valley of this river 
is one hundred and iiity miles long by thirty-five broad. The soil is a deep 
alluvion, of extraordinary fertility. 

It is not only well watered, but well timbered, and produces all the vege- 
tables, fruits, and grasses indigenous to the country, with astonishing pro- 
fuseness. No region was ever better adapted to agricultural or grazing 
purposes. 

The Fualitine Plains, adjoining this beautiful expanse of fertility upon 
the left, towards the Columbia, embrace an area of forty-five miles in length 
by fifteen in breadth, well watered and amply timbered, with a soil in all 
respects equal. 

The Klackanms, Putin, Fualitine, Yamhill, and other rivers, are all of 
them skirted by beautiful and fertile valleys of greater or less extent, while 
the adjacent hills and prairies afford not only frequent forests of excellent 
timber, but generally a very good soil. 

The landscape of this vicinity, though not, strictly speaking, hilly, is 
highly indulating, but quite productive in grass and herbage. 

The Cawlitz river, which empties into the Columbia a short distance below 
tlie WaDammette, has several ricii bottoms, and waters a large extent of 
country, admirably adapted to stock-raising and agriculture. 

At the mouth of the Wallammette river is an island some fifteen miles 
in length by nearly the same distance in breadth, called Wappato; it is of 
a deep alluvial soil, formed from sedimentary deposites and decayed vegeta- 
ble substances, and is very rich and densely timbered. 

The country at the m.outh of the Columbia and for some ten or fifteen 
miles interior, is sandy and sterile, — a fact much to be regretted, as from 
its peculiar locality this point must necessarily become the site of a vastly 
important commercial emporium, vieing in population, splendor, and opu- 
lence, the time-grown cities of more eastern climes. 

The stately forests of pine and fir, in the Western Division of Oregon, 
have for a long time challenged the admiration of the world, and it is 
strongly doubted whether the chosen veterans of foreign woods can produce 
a rival to some few specimens of tlie proud giants of its soil. 

These not unfrequently tower to a height of two hundred feet, aixf ev«B 



^^ A GLAJ^CE AT THE WHOLB. 



more, — cleaving from one hundred and fifty to one liundred and seTenty-fivt 
feet clear of limb, with scarcely a curve in the entire length. 

One of them, standing near Fort George on the Columbia river, is said 
to measure forty-seven feet in circumference, three hundred and fifty feet 
in altitude, and two liundred and sixty-five teet clear of limb; anotlier, upon 
tiie Umpqua river, is reported even larger , and yet another, in the same 
vicinity, very nearly equals it in size. 

Timber of this kind affords the choicest article for lumber, v^hich bears a 
very high price at the Sandwich Islands and in various parts of Mexico, 
and will no doubt become a staple commodity in tlie commerce of Oregon ; 
while the immense forests of pine, fir, and oak, rearing their stately heads 
in thick array, must prove a sure source of wealth to its future inhabi- 
tants. 

The principal kinds of wood indigenous to tht country are white-oak, 
live-oak, maple, ash, pine, fir, cedar, hemlock, spruce, cottonwoM, aspen, 
and cherry. 

Live-oak is found chiefly in the southern part, and, in quality, stands 
foremost among the denizens of the forest for ship-building.^ Several other 
■pecies of oak are more or less abundant in various parts. 

In review of the subjects occupying the preceding pages, we may pre- 
sent the following sununary : 

Nearly one-fifth of the entire territory is timbered ; three-eighths of it 
may be successfully cultivatod, (embracing the richest lands in the Federal 
Domain.) and two-thirds of it may aflbrd pasturage for cattle, horses, 
and sheep. 

It is generally better watered and much better timbered than California ; 
and, though its harbors are inferior in regard to safety and ease of access. 
Oregon possesses other advantages, aside from soil and climate, com- 
pensating, in some measure, for these obvious deficiencies, and which com' 
»ne to render it a most eligible point of emigration. 



26t 



CHAPTER XXVi. 

tRUBAto of Oregon ; its Tariableness ; ita raina ; a southfim elimate in ft 
latitade. — Productiven^s ; grain, fruita, and flowers, wild and cultivated.-— Geo< 
logical characteristics. — Soils and prevailing rock. — Minerals, &c. — Variety of 
game.— Wolves. — Horses, and other domestic animals. — Population, white and na • 
tives ; Indian tribes, their character and condition. — Missionary stations, and their 
improvements. — Present trade of Oregon. — Posts of the Hudson Bay Compaiy.— 
Settlements. — Oregon City, its situation and advantages ; about linnton ; about 
Wallammette valley, Fualitine Plains, and Umpqua river ; Vancouvie, and ita ro- 
perior advantages. — Kindness of Hudson Bay Company to settienu 

The next which seems to demand our notice, in due order, is the climatt 
of this interesting country. I 

We need only bear in mind the geographical position and diversified 
character of Oregon, to satisfy ourselves of the true merits of the subject 
now before us. A mountainous country like this must necessarily em- 
brace every variety of climate, from that of the ice-bound coasts and ever- 
scathing frosts of the polar regions, to the burning heat of the equator,— 
from the mild atmosphere of Italian skies, to the genial temperature which 
paints the wild-flowers in their primeval beauty, while month succeeding 
month doles out the year, nor feels nor knows the chill-breath of winter* 

A short jaunt at any time • translates the traveller, at his own optioD, 
to regions of winter, spring, summer, or fall, and spreads before him all die 
varied beauties and deformities of either. 

As a general thing, however, the winters of Oregon are much more tem^ 
perate man those of countries in the same latitude bordering upon th« 
Atlantic — a fact which may be attributed to the usual prevalence of wes- 
terly winds at that season. 

These winds, on passing the mountains and traversing the vast extent 
of snowy prairie and open land in their course, become vested with a chill- 
ing severity unknown to its incipiency, when, from the warm bosom of the 
broad Pacific, they first waft themselves o'er the blooming valleys, smilinff 
plains, grass-clad hills, and mountains garbed in stately forests, comminglea 
with stern desolation, to lavish upon all these varied scenes the soft Wan- 
dishments of the Indies, and engender the interesting phenomenon of a sonth* 
em climate in a high northerr? latitude. 

The c luntry contiguous to Frasier's river, and even below it for 
some dit 'ance, is usually visited with long and severe winters, and 
enjoys comparatively but a short interval of genial weather during 
the spring and summer months. 

The valleys, however, not unfrequently afford exceptions to this 
remark, when favorably located in regard to the wind and sun. In 
this section it seldom rains, a circumstance causing an unproductive 
and arid soil 

83^ 



S70 



CLIMATS OF ORIQOH. 



The Eastern Division is, perhaps, more variable in regaid to tempera- 
ture than any other portion of Oregon. Its valleys are usually possessed 
of a mild and delightful climate, so much so that stock will subsist the 
entire winter without being fed or housed. 

The plains and high prairies present a longer interval of inclement 
weather, and the snow continues on the ground for a much greater length 
of time, than in the low-lands. 

Some particular localities are subject to very sudden changes, and not 
anfrequently experience the warm breath of summer with the chill blasts 
of fresh-born winter during the short lapse of a single day and night. 

In reference to the high mountains, it is sufficient to remark, that with 
them winter is a season too congenial not to be felt in all its rigors, to 
the entire extent of its duration. The diversity of temperature in these 
parts depends mostly upon the altitude. The lower benches experiencing 
a rnild atmosphere even in the severest weather, permit the snow to re- 
main only for a short interval succeeding its fall, and woo the willing 
spring ; while the higher ones treasure up each descending flake to nour- 
ish the scathing blasts that leap from the mountain-tops, fresh-cradled 
in the lap of winter. 

Notwithstanding these apparent disadvantages, the Eastern Division 
may be regarded as universally healthy. The purity of the atmosphere, 
and its absence from noxious exhalations and disease-engendering efflu- 
via, undoubtedly contribute the prime cause in producing a result so 
favorable. 

Rains are not usual to this part in the summer months, nor even in 
the winter and spring are they common to any great extent. The snows 
of winter, together with the rains of that season and autumn, and the 
occasional dews of summer, in most cases, aflbrd a sufficient moisture to the 
low-lands for agricultural purposes. 

That section situated between the Blue and Cascade Mountains, known 
as the Middle Division, is said to possess, comparatively, a much milder 
and less variable climate. 

The winters are usually open and of short duration, snow lying upon 
the ground, in the valleys, rarely exceeding four days in succession, and 
vegetation, in some instances, remains green the entire season. The prai- 
ries, too, are generally covered only for a short time. 

The heat of summer lacks that oppressiveness so common to most 
countries. In regard to the health of this section, we may correctly apply 
the observations made relative to the Eastern Division. A country situ- 
ated hke the one now forming the subject of our remarks, cannot be oth- 
erwise than healthy, as a general thing. 

The snow of winter and the rains of spring and autumn, coupled with 
the light dews of summer, furnish all the moisture usual to he soil, 
which the moderate heat of the latter season renders sufficiei i for the 
growth of vegetation and the production of grain and other crops. 

The Western Division possesses not only a soil but a climate more fa- 
forable to vegetation than any other portion of Oregon. In the southern 
part it seldom snows, and the weather is so mild, that the grass continues 
green and flourishing the entire year. Water noTer mems, unless it 
ie in eome elevated pool or lake. 



PRODUCTIONS OF DIFFERElfT SECTIOlfS. 271 

The absence of sufficient rains and dews, however, during the summer 
nonths at some points, renders an occasional resort to irrigation necessary 
for the production of corn, potatoes, and articles of a like nature. 

Two crops of some kinds of produce may be raised with success in a 
single year. 

In the vicinity of the Wallammette, the winters are only a trifle colder. 
Running water seldom freezes. Snow never falls to exceed the depth 
of a few inches, and disappears in a very short time succeeding. 

Vegetation in the valleys, and even upon the plains, to some extent, 
remains green year in and year out. Of course no better climate could 
be selccteil for stock-raising. 

These remarks may be applied with equal propriety to the other por- 
tions of the Western Division south of the Columbia and in its immediate 
vicinity. The country further north, for a considerable distance, posses- 
ses a climate almost as favorable. The snows of winter, however, are 
usually more frequent and less transitory in their continuance. 

The cold season is confined almost exclusively to the three winter months. 
The heat of summer is moderate and agreeable, generally rangmg at 62** 
Fahrenheit, above zero, in its mean temperature. 

The wet season of the Western Division usually occurs from October to 
March of each year, inclusive ; at other times rain seldom falls. During 
this season it descends in gentle showers, or in the shape of mist, at inter- 
vals, for about one half of the time. The moisture received into the earth 
meanwhile, together with the nightly dews and other favorable agencies 
during the summer months, renders the soil adapted to cultivation. 

Back from the valleys and bottoms, the atmosphere is quite wholesome 
and salubrious. Fevers are seldom known, and pulmonary complaints are 
equally rare. 

In the vicinity of the Columbia, intermittent fevers are not uncommon, 
though by no means as bad as in some parts of our frontier States. 

Next m the order before us come the various productions which may 
be, and are, successfully cultivated in the diflerent sections of this part of 
our national domain. 

The soil and climate of the Eastern Division have been sufficiently test* 
ed to know their capacity for producing nearly, if not quite, all the various 
grains, vegetables, and fruits usually grown in our Northern and Middle 
States. A great variety of wild fruits and vegetables grow spontaneously, 
in different parts, and in great abundance. 

The soil and climate, as a whole, seem better adapted to the culture of 
fruits and grains, than vegetables ; and perhaps we might add, for the raifih 
ing of cattle, horses, and sheep, than agriculture ; though the latter obser- 
vation is not to be so construed as to affirm that farming may not be suc- 
cessfully and profitably prosecuted in many parts. 

The Northern Division, or that portion of Oregon lying on the head- 
waters of the Columbia, in the vicinity and south of Frasier's river, and 
upon the Chilkeelis, being much colder and more sterile, must necessarily 
be regarded in a less favorable light than the country referred to in the 
preceding paragraph. But, little is known as to its products or the capiu 
fiities of its sou and climate; yet, it is said that some particular kinds of 



8?2 PRETAIUlfG ROCK. 



fimit are indigenous to this region, and it is generally jnpposed that wheat, 
baney, oats, buckwheat, flax, and other articles of hke nature, might te 
raised within it. Of course, these remarks apply only to the valleys. 

The Middle Division affords a finer soil and a more favorable climate 
than the Eastern ; but, in regard to productions, it is much the same. All 
the northern fruits, grains, and vegetables, may be produced in great abun- 
dance, with the exception of com — the land being generally too dry and 
too much subject to unseasonable frosts ; corn, however^ has been success- 
fully cultivated on the Wailawalla. 

There are several varieties of wild fruits found here, among which are 
ii.cluded cherries, with larb, buflal , goose, and service berries, and cur- 
rants, plums, and grapes, together with several other species not recollect- 
ed, as well as vegetables and roots. 

The Western Division not only maintains its pre-eminence in relation to 
Boil and climate, but stands equally conspicuous in the variety and abun- 
dance of its productions. It is thought, and not without reason, that cotton, 
Bugar-cane, and various other productions of a warm and even tropical 
climate might here be raised without difficulty. 

When the ground is in a suitable condition, the avarage crop of wheat 
IB from twenty to twenty-five bushels to the acre. Vast quantities of it are 
annually produced by settlers in different parts of the country. A surplus 
of one hundred thousand bushels is reported to have been grown, in the 
reffion adjoining the Wallammette, during the summer of 1844. 

The Hudson Bay Company, at Fort Vancouvre, have several very ex- 
tensive farms under improvement, upon which they raise nearly every va- 
riety of grain and vegetables, with flattering success. 

In the garden of McLaughlin, the chief factor of this company, are found 
almost every species of -fruits and flowers indigenous to this country and 
to foreign soils of the same latitude, with several varieties produced only 
in warm chmates. 

We barely allude to the above facts, in order to prove the adaptation of 
Western Oregon to agricultural pursuits. The data relative to its extraor- 
dinary facilities for rearing countless herds of cattle, horses, and sheep, 
have already been placed before the reader, and need not here a repetition. 

The components of the soils of Oregon are equally varied in character, 
according to their situation. Tlie bottoms are usually of a deep, sandy 
alluvion, intermixed with vegetable and organic matter. The valleys are 
of a heavy loam, enriched by the debris and other fertilizing properties 
borne from the high grounds by tlie annual rains, together with the con- 
stant accumulation of decayed herbage and grass so lavishly bestrewn at 
each returning season. 

The prairies are possessed of either a light sandy superfice, or a mixture 
of ^vel and stiff clay. The superstratum of the hills and mountains 
varies from wastes of naked sand, sun-baked clay, and spreads of denuded 
rock, to a thin vegetable mould, and a light marly loam of greater or less 
fecundity. 

The rock of this territory also presents many different specimens ; the 
prominent classifications, however, are volcanic, viz : basalt, (columnar and 
Bcoriated,) trap, lava, pumicestone, limestone (fossiUferous, bituminous, 
tad earthy ,) and mica ilate, with sandstone, puddingstone, gnmolar qaarti| 



POPULATION OF THE TERRITORY. 273 



calcareous tufa, and agglomeratx3d boulders of various kinds, particularly 
in the Eastern Division. The varieties of some parts present strong char- 
acteristics of the oolite formation. The hills cojitain many excellent quar- 
ries for the structure of buildings or other useful purposes. 

Hitherto but littlo investigation has been had relative to the mineral re* 
■nources of Oregon ; though sufficient is known to warrant the statement, 
•hat copper, lead, iron, coal, salt, soda, sulphur, nitre, and alum, are abundant 
tn some parts ; and, from the nature of the country, we may safely infer that 
yet more valuable metals are waiting to reward with their hidden treasures 
the researches of man. 

Game, in the Eastern and Middle Divisions, is not generally plentiful ; 
yet, in places, there are an abundance of deer, elk, antelope, bear, wolve« 
and foxes ; — buffalo are also found occasionally in the vicinity of the Rocky 
Mountains. In the Northern Division, moose, deer, elk, bear, foxes, and 
wolves, are the varieties most common. Game is more abundant in the 
Western than in the other Divisions, and is nearly of the same kind. 

Ducks, geese, brants, pheasants, partridges, &c., are common throughout 
the whole territory. 

Wolves are very numerous in the neighborhood of the settlements, and 
prove a great source of annoyance to the inhabitants by preying upon their 
cattle and other stock. These wolves consist of three kinds — the black, 
gray, and prairie wolf, o. vhich, as in California, the black wolf is the largest 
and most ferocious. 

As a grazing country, the available lands of the three divisions of Oregon, 
south of the Columbia and the one immediately north of that river, are little 
inferior, if, indeed, not fully equal, to the far-famed meadows and lawns of 
Cahfornia. 

Horses are reared in vast numbers by the Indians, among whom it is not 
uncommon to find a single individual owning three or four hundred head. 
Select horses may be bought at prices ranging from twelve to twenty dol- 
lars each. 

These animals are generally stout and hardy, capable of enduring a vast 
amount of fatigue, and are but little inferior in point of size to our American 
nags. 

Large herds of horses are also raised by the settlers, and at the Hudson 
.Bay Company's establishments. 

Latterly, cattle, hogs, and slieep, are beginning to receive the attention 
of the farming community, and, without doubt, soon will become immensely 
numerous. It needs only the operation of time to render Oregon as fa- 
mous for its countless herds, as for the abimdance and variety of its p^o^- 
dictions. 

The entire population of the territory at this time, may be estimated at 
thirty-five thousand, of which about seven thousand are whites and half- 
breeds, and the balance Indians. 

The Indians principally consist of the following tribes : the Snakes, 

' Blackfeet, Flatheads, Nesperces, Bonarks, Cyuses, Wallawallas, Chinooks, 

Shatchets, Chalams, Kiilamucs, Squamishes, Clasets, Tonandos, Klacka- 

■106, Clatsup, Umpquas, Klackatats,Kallapuyas,Tlamaths, and Chilkeelia. 



2T4 MISSIONARY STATIONS. 



The Blackfeetj though included among the Oregon tribes, properly belonj 
to that portion of the Rocky Mountains contiguous to the head waters of 
tlie Missouri. They make occasional irruptions into the country occupiec? 
by tlie Flatheads, Snakes, and Nesperces, and for this reason are included 
in the above list. 

The Tlameths and two or three other inferior tribes in the neighborhood 
of California and north of the Columbia river may be considered trouble- 
some and rather ill-disposed ; but not dangerous, unless it be in cases 
where they have a very decided advantage. 

The Indians of this country are less warhke than those east of the Rocky 
Mountains, and far less dangerous, even as enemies. They may be con* 
Bidered, on the whole, as friendly to the whites, and quite susceptible of 
civilization. They are tolerably industrious, and ready at all times to work 
for the settlers at a trifling compensation. 

Many of them cultivate the ground and raise corn, potatoes, beans, and 
melons, — but fish, horses, and game, as a general thing, furnish their prin- 
cipal food. As an evidence of their quiet disposition, they rarely go to war, 
and are usually found at or near the several places claimed and occupied 
by them individually. 

The Nesperces are, perhaps, farther advanced in civiUzation than any 
other tribe. Many of them (and some of other tribes) are beginning to 
live after the manner of the whites, and the pb .anthropic efforts of Chris- 
tian missionaries in their behalf have been attended with great success. 

There are eight of more missionary stations in Oregon, belonging as fol- 
lows : to the Presbyterians, the Methodists, and the Roman Catholics. 

Four of these are situated between the Blue and Cascade Mountains, viz : 
one near the Balls one at Waiilatpu on the Wallawalla, one at Tshimakain, 
and one at Clear Water. 

The mission at Waiilatpu is under the direction of Dr. Whitman, and 
has a flouring mill and a very considerable farm connected with it, upon 
which large quantities of grain and vegetables are annually raised, and also 
numerous herds of cattle and horses. The station near the Dalls, with 
the exception of a mill, is said to be but little behind that of Waiilatpu in 
point of prosperity. 

The remaining four are in the Western Division. 

The most important of these are situated as follows : one at the Wallam- 
mette Falls, about twenty-five miles below the Columbia, and the other m 
the Wallammette valley, some forty or fifty miles fartlier south. 

Both of the above belong to the Methodists, and may be considered rich« 

There are two large farms and a store connected with the station in the 
Wallammette valley, and also large herds of cattle, horses, and hogs ; — it is 
eaid to drive quite a profitable trade with the Indians and settlers in tlie line 
of dry goods and groceries. 

The station at the Wallammette Falls has also a store, and carries on a 
■mall business by way of merchandize. 

The two other stations are south and west of the last named, but have, 
as yet, no very extensive improvements in connection with them. 

The Methodists have a press at one of their stations in Oregon, which if 
employed in printing religious books for the benefit of the Indians. 



DIFFERENT SETTLEMEIfTS. 275 



In addition to the different stations above alluded to, the Catholics have 
several agents and teachers in this territory, who labor with great zeal and 
earnestness to make proselytes to their own peculiar notions. The number 
and locality of these agents I have not the necessary information to state. 
They were, not long since, under the superintendance of one Father De 
Smit, a Jesuit priest, and have exerted considerable influence among the 
Indian tribes. 

Nearly the entire trade of Oregon, at the present time, is in the hands of 
the Hudson Bay Company, from whom dry goods and groceries may be ob- 
tained by the settlers at less than the common price in the United States ; 
this, as a necessary consequence, precludes all opposition. The principal 
exports (raised at the stations or received by way of barter) are flour, fish, 
butter, cheese, lumber, masts, spars, furs, and skins. 

The Forts, or trading establishments, are eighteen in all, and have a large 
number of hands employed about them, in conducting the fur trade and 
^aboring upon the farms and in the workshops and mills. 

Each of these posts presents a miniature town by itself, whose busy pop- 
ulace pursue most of the varied avocations incident to the more densely 
inhabited localities of civilized countries. 

We will not occupy the reader's time in an extended description of them 
severally, but rest content by simply giving their names. The first post 
belonging to this company, upon the route to the mouth of the Columbia, is 
Fort Hall; the next. Fort Wallawalla; then, Fort Vancouvre, and Fort 
George. 

The others are situated at different points, and are known as follows : 
Colville, Okanagan, Alexandria, Barbine, Klamlcops, St. James, Chilcothin, 
Simpson, McLaughlin, Langley, Nisqually, Cawlitz, and Umpqua; of which 
eight are located in or above iat. 49* north. 

The principal settlements, disconnected from the trading establishments 
and different missionary stations, at present, are upon the Umpqua and 
Wallammette riverS; on the Fualitine Plains, and near Fort Vancouvre. 
These settlements are represented as being in a very flourishing condition, 
and rapidly increasing in population and wealth. 

At the Wallammette Falls, a town has been regularly laid out called 
Oregon City, which, in the year 1844, numbered a hundred or more 
bouses ; among them was a church, with several stores and mills. 

At this place the temporary legislature, already instituted by the set- 
tlers for mutual benefit in the absence of all other legitimate jurisdiction, 
holds its regular sessions. A mayor was elected in the spring of 1846; 
and recently a printing press and materials have been procured from New 
York for the purpose of publishing the territorial laws, with such other 
documents and papers as the interests of the community may require. 

This embryo city, situated as it is in a place so admirable in regard to 
agriculture, commerce, and manufactures, possesses many superior advan- 
tages in point of locality. 

The falls of the Wallammette are thirty feet perpendicular, and afford 
abundant water privileges for mills and factories, — two important rivers, 
the Klackamue and Fualitine, find their discharge near it, while below if 
groMotsd an imlnt«rrupted navigation to the Oc«an,and above it boati maj 



376 KINDNESS OF THE H. B. COMPANY. 

ascend for a distance of one hundred miles or more. The country con- 
tigous iB unsurpassed in fertility, and will undoubtedly soon acquire a 
dense population. 

Another town, called Linnton, has recently been commenced upon the 
south bank of the Columbia, near the mouth of the Wallammette river, and 
bids fair to become of some importance. 

The settlements in the valley above, and at the Fualitine Plains, are scat- 
tered like those of the farming sections of our Western States ; — the 
same observation may also be applied in reference to those upon the Ump- 
qua river. 

The settlement at Vancouvre is more compact, and assumes the air of 
a flourishing village. It is near the falls of the Columbia, at the head of 
ship navigation, and is made the great co:amerciai dei;ot of the Hudson 
Bay Company for the articles required in their trade. 

Connected with the Fort is an extensive flouring mill, and also a saw 
mill, which i^ said to do a very active and lucrative business. 

The number of bui.'dings at Vancouvre is not far from sixty. The site 
is a most admirable one for some future emporium of trade and manufac- 
tures. Its water privileges are almost without limits, while its other advai- 
tages are equally inviting. 

The geographical condition of the country is such that, as it becomes 
settled, an enormous amount of commercial interest must necessarily con- 
centrate here ; and, doubtless, a more favorable locality for a city could not 
be selected upon the Columbia. It is destined to command almost the 
entire trade of Eastern and Middle Oregon. 

The ag-ents of the Hudson Bay Company at present are of great advan- 
tage to emigrants. They extend to tliem every reasonable assistance by 
selling goods and necessaries on credit at very low prices, and receiving 
their various products in payment upon most favorable terms. They fur- 
nish seed-corn, wheat, potatoes, and other articles of like nature, to the set- 
tlers, to be returned in kind at the end of the year, with a small additional 
amount by w^ty of interest. 

This company is equally accommodating in other respects. It afforda 
employment to numbers at a fair compensation, and supplies them with 
cattle, hogs, horses, and implements of agriculture for their farms. Iti 
agents and factors seem much disposed to encourage the influx of emi- 
grants, and are never backward in evincing a friendly disposition by their 
acts. 



277 



CHAPTER XXVIl. 

Hm manufacturing facilities of Oregon.— Commercial and agricultural advantagef 
reviewed.— Rail Road to the Pacific— Route, mode of travelling, and requisite 
equipments for emigrants. — Importance of Oregon to the United States. — Incident 
in the early history of Fort H?ill.— Why the Blackfeet are hostile, and bright 
spots in their character. — Mild weather.— Leave for the Platte. — Journey to the 
Yarnpah, and sketch of the intermediate country.— New Park,— Head of Grand 
river. — The landscajie. — Different routes to Fort Lancaster. — Old Park. 

Perhaps no country is possessed of greater manufacturing facilities 
than Oregon. Its numberless watercourses, with their frequent falls and 
rapids, upon every side, point out the sites for mills and factories, while 
the adjoining forests and hills produce the timber for tlieir construction, 
and the metal for their machinery ; and the plains and valleys, the food for 
their operatives, and raw materials for their fabrics. The ships of all na- 
tions await as their carriers, and render accessible the best markets of the 
world. 

A large portion of the sterile and otherwise valueless lands of the terri- 
tory might be turned to good account in the growth of wool, and the valleys 
and bottoms would easily yield exhaustless supplies of flax and hemp. The 
southwest displays her cotton fields, and the plains and liiils hold out their 
rich stores of timber and minerals ; tlje busy operatives and thrice eflTec- 
tive machinery of the flourishing estJiblishments, as yet scarcely hidden 
from view by the thin veil of futurity, would achieve the transformation of 
tliese varied products into broadcloths, hnens, calicoes, and other auxiha- 
ries of comfort and utility ; while California, with the other provinces of 
Mexico, the western Republics of South America, the islands of the Paci- 
fic, the Northwestern Coast, and the numerous Indian tribes of the interior, 
impatient to gaze upon the evidences of creative skill, even now stand their 
willing^ purchasers. 

With such advantages before her, who raight not augur well for the fu- 
ture pre-eminence of Oregon. 

But, in other respects, the prospect is still more flattering. Her exten- 
sive plaine, valleys, and bottoms, need no long lapse of time to transform 
them into smiling fields ; her prairies and hills will then become thronged 
with countless herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, and the beef, pork, and 
wool of the stock-grov/er, the butter and cheese of tlie dairyman, with all 
the surplus of the farmer, will find an inviting market at the populous 
manufacturing towns and commercial cities tliat will have sprung up close 
around him, nor need he look elsewhere for a more lucrative disposal. 

An interchange of commodities witJi China, Japan, SoutJi America, the 
East Indies, and the Polynesian and Australian islands, will pour the 
wealth of nations into her lap, and swell the opulence of her citizens. 

A continuous rail-road, from the Mississippi and tlie great lakea 
24 



278 EQUIPMENT FOR ERDiGRAlfTS. 



the Rocky Mountains to the falls of the Columbia, (a project quite practi 
cable, and even now seriously contemplated,) will open a new channel for 
commerce, and then our merchantmen and wlialers, instead of performing 
a dangerous homeward-bound voyage of twelve thousand miles, by doubling 
the southern extremity of Africa, or that of the American continent, will 
discharge their cargoes at the ports of Qiegon for a re-shipment to every 
part of the Union, and thus unite their aid ii-; the magic work of up-build- 
ing the Great West. 

It is then tliat the mighty resources of our national confederacy will be^ 
gin more fully to develop themselves, and exhibit to an admiring world tho 
giant strides of civilization and improvement, wheu liberty is their birth- 
right, and freemen are their nursing fathers. It needs no prophetic eye to 
foresee all ihis, nor the effort of centuries to transform tills rough sketch cf 
fancy into a more than sober reality. 

The over-land route, from Independence, Mo., to Fort Hall, affords a 
good waggon-road ; but that from Fort Hall to Vancouvre is generally con- 
sidered impassable for other tlian pack-animals. It is said, however, that 
a new route has recently been discovered, by whici? waggonn may be taken, 
without much difficulty, the entire distance. Should this report prove true, 
tlie emigrant may convey everything needed for his comfort during the 
long journey before him. 

Emigrants ehouM never go in companies exceeding one hundred and 
fifty or two hundred persons. The reason for this is obvious,-— they 
will proceed more harmoniously ; there will be less difficulty in obtaining 
food for their animals; less delays en rrmte; a better opportunity for the 
procurement of provisions by hunting, and the number is amply sufficient 
for mutual defence. 

From my own experience and observaticn, I would advise the use of 
pack-rnules or horses altogether, instead of waggons. One pack-horse, 
suitably laden, would convey an ample supply of provisions and other ne- 
cessaries for two individuals, if recruited by ocf.asional levies upon the 
game that, ia many cases, throng their course. 

A company thus equiped, can travel with far greater expedition and 
even more comfortably. 

In case of sickness, a litter might easily be constructed for the convey- 
ance of the invalid by affixing to a -horse two light poles, some twelve or 
fifteen feet in length, like the shafts of a vvagon, *he smaller extremities 
being fastened to the saddle and the larger ones left to drag upon the ground, 
while two scort pieces placed transversely upvin them, astern the horse, 
present the fi imework for a bed in which the sufferer may repose or lie 
ftt his ease, wit!i as much quiet as the tender object of a mother's care in 
Ke infantile cradis. 

A c«^mpany acting upon the above suggestions (numbering say two 
hundred) should employ an efficient pilot, with a commandant and six- 
teen skilful hunters. 

Strict regulations for its government must also be adopted and en- 
forced. Each individual should be furnished with a good riding horse or « 
mule, a good percassion rifle, (bore thirty or thirty-five balls per lb. "^ *»- 



IMPORTANCE OF OREGON. 279 

munition sufficient for five hundred rounds, and a butcher-knife, with pi©, 
tola and the requisites for procuring fire. 

The company should be divided into messes of six each, and one hunt- 
er and his assistant should be assigned to every two messes. Each mesa 
should be provided with three pack-mules, exclusively for the transports^ 
tion of its baggage and provision, and at least one loose animal for extra 
service. 

It should be further furnished with two camp-kettles, a tomahawk, a 
large tin mess-pan, and a tin-cup and plate for each of its number. 

A light tent might also be taken if deemed necessary ; though such an 
article is of little use. A robe and a blanket for bedding, four shirts and a 
single change of clothes are as much baggage as any individual should 
think of taking for his ov/n use. By these means his movements will be 
free and unincumbered, while the whole company pursues its way with 
ease and rapidity. 

On reaching his destination the emigrant may procure everything in the 
line of dry goods, ,:y]oceries, and the implements cf husbandry, at less 
prices than in the Siates ; hence the folly of burthening himself with extra 
baggage for a long and tiresome journey. 

The immense importance of Oregon to the United States is doubtless ap- 
parent to every ona. The facts upon which this inference is based, may 
be briefly presented as follows : 

First. By the occupation of this country we shall secure to our own 
citizens the best trade of the whole world. 

Second. We shall preclude the dangerous supremacy of foreign powers 
upon our western frontier, and place our relations with the intermediate 
Indian tribes upon a safer and more permanent footing. 

Third. We shall retain to the Union a vast territory, unexcelled in 
climate, rich in soil, and exhaustless in its various resources ; and thus 
lay open for the general welfare new channels for commerce and fresh 
fields for enterprise. 

Fourth. We shall (in the event of the proposed rail road) greatly en- 
hance the prosperity and wealth of the Western States. 

Fifth. vVe shall prevent the annual sacrifice of an immense amount of 
life and property in the navigation of a dangerous sea, for a distance of 
some twelve thousand miles. 

Sixth. We shall aff<Drd to ovir whalemen and ships engaged in the 
China and East India trade ports for supphes and repairs, and thus save tcj 
ourselves the yearly amounts now paid to foreign nations. 

Seventh. We stand in actual need of some point upon the coast of the 
Pacific as a rendezvous for our navy. 

There are many other weighty reasons that might be adduced in support 
of this inference, but why should we further review the subject ? A can- 
did perusal of the preceding pages will have suggested tliem to the read- 
er's mind without greater amplification on our part. 

In conclusion we need only to add, time ivill usher forth the embryo 
greatness and glory of Oregon ; but whether that greatness shall increase the 
strength, or that glory commingle with the glowing lustre of our Federal 
Union, while she figures as one in the proud family of States, or wbetfaM* 



280 DAUNTLESS REPUBLIOAHa, 



they, discarded by the fostering hand of maternal care, shall assnme the 
energy of a giant's power and shine with the brightness of innate 
effulgence as a distinct nation^ depends much upon the prompt and judi- 
cious action of our government upon this momentous subject. 

During our stay at Fort Hall an incident connected with its early histo- 
ry was narrated to me, which, as it tends much to illusti-ate the bold daring 
and spirit of inbred republicanism possessed by the mass of trappmg parties 
frequenting the mountains, I am tempted to transcribe. 

Soon after this post came into the possession of its present owners, sev- 
eral squads, on returning from their regular hunts, rendezvoused in its vi- 
cinity. According to the custom of the Hudson Bay Company on such 
occasions, the British flag was hoisted in honor of the event. Thereupon 
the proud mountaineers took umbrage, and forthwitli sent a deputation to 
solicit of the commandant its removal ; and, in case he should prove un- 
willing to comply, politely requesting that, at .east, the American flag might 
be permitted a place by its side. Both of which propositions were per- 
emptorily refused. 

Another deputation was then sent announcing that, unless the Dritish 
flag should be taken down and the stars and stripes raised in its place with- 
in two hours, they would take it down by force, if necessary. To this was 
returned an answer of surly defiance. 

At the expiration of the time named the resolute trappers, mustering en 
masse, appeared before the Fort, under arms, and demanded its immediate 
surrender. 

The gates had already been closed, and the summons was anwered by a 
shot from the bastion. Several shots were forthwith exchanged, but without 
much damage upon either side ; the trappers directing their aim principally 
at the British flag, while the garrison, feeling ill-disposed to shoot clown 
their own friends in honor of a few yards of parti-colored bunting, elevated 
their pieces and discharged them into the air. 

The result was that the assailants soon forced an entrance, took down 
and tore in pieces the hated flag, and mounted that of their own country in 
its stead, amid deafening huzzas and successive rounds of riflery. 

The commandant and his sub-cronies, retreating to a room, barricaded 
the entrance, when the trappers promptly demanded their surrender upon tha 
following terms : 

1st. The American flag shall occupy its proper place hereafter. 

2d. The commandant shall treat his captors to the best liquors in his 
possession. 

3d. Unless the ofl'enders comply with these conditions, the captors will 
consider Fort Hall and its contents as lawful plunder and act accordingly. 

After a short parley the besieged agreed to a capitulation. In compli- 
ance with the second article of the terms, a barrel of whiskey, with sugar 
to match, was rolled into the yard, where the head was knocked out, and 
tlie short but bloodless campaign ended in wild frolicking, as toast after 
toast was drunk in fancied honor of the American flag, and round after 
round of responsive cheers told who were they that stood ever ready t« 
oroudly hail it and rally beneath its broad folds. 




iLACKFEET AND FLATHEAD INDIANS. — Page 3 



THE BLACKFEET. 288 

At tlie time of our visit, there were some sixty men comiected with this 
establishment. These consisted principally of half-breeds and Canadian 
French, among whom were several who had seen service in the unre- 
lenting war between the v/hites and Blackfeet that had been so long pros- 
ecuted. Many a thrilling story was narrated in connection with the his- 
tory of this war, none of which more interested me than the following 
ex^anation of its origin : 

The Blackfeet at first were friendly to the whites, and a very consider- 
able trade in guns and ammunition was carried on with them by the latter. 
Like most savages, they became great admirers of the potency and use of 
gunpowder, and were quite curious to ascertain the process by which it 
could be had independent of the whites. In answer to inquiries, they 
were informed it was the seed of a species of grain, and miglt be multi- 
plied in like manner to any extent by cultivation. 

Accrediting the story and captivated with the idea of raising their own 
powder, a large quantity was purchased for that purpose, which was care- 
fulh' planted, in full expectation of an abundant harvest 

Their disappointment at the result will be readily supposed. Denoun- 
cing the whites as liars and cheats, they were not slow to avow their med- 
itated revenge. 

It needed, however, yet another act of perfidy to work the more perfect 
transformation of friends into foes. This soon after was consummated as 
follows : 

The Blackfeet and Flatheads met, at an appointed place, for tlie purpose 
of trade and the maintenance of friendly relations, as was their annual 
custom. 

During this conference, the head chiefs o^ die two nations commenced 
descanting upon the merits and fleetness of tneir respective horses, which 
resulted in a banter, a bet, and a race. 

The Flatheads, producing two of their fastest chargers, were backed by 
the Blackfeet in a like number ; and, upon the success of the particular 
favorites, not only the honor of the two nations was staked, but a large 
amount of other valuables. The race was run, and, the result proving 
close, both parties claimed the wager. 

Upon this a dispute ensued, and finally the whole matter was referred 
to three white men, by whose decision they agreed to abide. The arbitra- 
tors, through mere personal predilection, instead of pronouncing it a tie, as 
they should have done, awarded the palm to the Flatheads. 

The Blackfeet gave in to the decision and relinquished the stakes, but 
from that day forth avowed themselves the eternal enemies of both whites 
and Flatheads. This occurrence dated tlie commencement of an unre- 
lenting war of extermination on their part, nor have they permitted any 
suitable opportunity of wreaking their vengence upon the ofienders to 
unimproved. 



Notwitnstanding the bad character generally ascvribed to the Blackfeet, 
they possess traits worthy of admiration. As enemies, they make no dis- 
guise of their hostile designs ; and though they have been known to meet 
with parties )f whites without coming in colission, and even to smoke 



»•* THE MEDICINE SHOT. 



with them ; yet, od such occasions, they have uniformily declared the armb' 
tlce a temporary one, and in force only for the time being. 

Instances have been known of trappers penetrating into their villages 
unawares, who received the treatment of guests during their stay, and 
were allowed to depart unmolested upon expressing their wishes to that 
effect 

The bright spots in the character of these Indians are more fuUy devel- 
oped in the following example : 

Several years ago, two trappers, in their excursions for beaver, dis- 
covered a Blackfoot engaged in butchering. Thinking the present a favor- 
able opportunity to reduce the number of their enemies, they cautiously 
approached the unsuspecting operator with the design of affording him a 
speedy transition to the Spirit Land. 

Having advanced within gun-shot, they were almost in the very act of 
firing, when a casual glance revealed the dusky forms of savages who 
surrounded them at no great distance, and in such a manner as to preclude 
all possibility of escape ; but as yet, however, the intended victim was 
ignorant of their presence. 

On observing the danger of then: situation, they rushed up to him, and, 
eeixing liis hands, claimed his protection. The excitement of the moment 
iiaving subsided, he replied : — 

" Your hves belong to me, — you might have taken mine ; it must not 
k9 said that the Blackfoot is unffrateml. Come with me and you are 
gafe." 

Upon this he led the way to the village near by, and made them the 
(:jiie8t8 of his own family. 

Everything that generous hospitality could devise for comfort and pleas- 
ure, was placed at their disposal. The villagers seemed to vie with each 
tMier in their attestation of friendship and good will, and repeatedly solicited 
^m to remain and join the tribe. 

However, on expressing a wish to leave, they were escorted for some 
Stance en rouie^ and left to choose tlieir own course of travel, with the 
^uting monition : " We are now friends. — When next we meet it will be 
^ enemies !"* 

• The Blackfeet are generally acceunted brave, though instances have been 
lowwn of three or four whites defeating a large party of them- On one occasion 
three trapper.s fell into an arabuscade of these Indians, and two of them were instantly 
thot from their horses, but the third was left untouched, and spurring his animal to 
the height of its speed, broke through the whole throng and was soon out of reach. 

_ Four mounted Indians immediately siaried in pursuit, and gained rapidly upon 
kiro till they came witlun shooting distance, when the lone trapper turned upon them, 
ftnd with Ids double*barreled rifle picked off two of their number, and again fled. 

Confident of securing their intended victim, now that they supposed his fire-amw 
were uncharged, the remaining two hurried after him, and in a few momenta were 
Wthin i-ange of pLstol-shot. The trapper then again halted, and the discharge of a 
pistol brought the tlurd to the groundf. 

Drawing forth a second from his belt, the work of slaughter would have been com- 
|dete, had not the terrified savage, in liis turn, fled with the utmost precipitancy. The 
trapper pursued, but was far in the rear when the Blackfoot regained his rom- 
raaea, and hurriedly exclaimed : 

" m8t«, ye ! flee ! It was the Big Medicine we pursued, and at his word thre« 
if «w wamon braath* not, and of feur I only bav« eacaped ! His single medicin*- 



YAMPAH RIVER. 



285 



Nov. 20ih. Yielding to the solicitations of my comrades demontes, I 
am again journeying for the Platte. During the brief period of our stay at 
Fort Hall, we enjoyed mild and agreeable weather, as a general thing ) 
only one inconsiderable fall of snow having occurred meanwhile, and tlie 
grass, even yet, in many places, is green and fresh. 

Notwithstanding the lateness of the season, we anticipate but httle diffi- 
culty in crossing the mountains, via New Park and Grand river pass, as the 
journey has been performed on several occasions in the dead of winter. 
But, a further stimulant to our hopes is the possession of good mules and 
horses, which are every way competent to the task before them ; my two 
companions are, also, intimately acquainted with the mountains, and well 
Know how to shape our course to advantage. 

For the first few days our progress was rapid and uninterrupted. Fol- 
lowing the regular trail by way of Bear river, on the 24th we struck 
Black's fork, a considerable tributary of Green river, and one of several in 
its neighborhood. dov\^n which we continued to its confluence with tlie main 
stream ; thence, crossing to the east bank, we kept its general course, some- 
Jimes by its valley, then again by long detours among the hills, owing to 
the rugged nature of the country, and in three days subsequent, reached 
the Yampahj or Little Snake, an affluent from the left. 

The intermediate country from Fort Hall to the Yampah has been par- 
tially noticed in connection with Oregon and California, and for that reason 
it will not be expected of me to waste time in repetition. 

I need only add, that among the hills we noticed much nude sterility, in- 
termingled with frequent clusters of absinthe, aretmisia (or grease wood, as 
it is familharly called,) and bunch-grass, with occasional groves of pine, 
cedar, and balsam. 

In the valleys the grass was yet green, and indicated the presence of 
winter only by its withered tops. Snow was seen only upon the hills and 
mountains, and even there in no great quantity. Game appeared plentiful 
for most of the distance, particularly black-tailed deer and sheep. 

The section of country hereabouts is inhabited by the Snake Indians, 
from whom the river above referred to derives its name. 

This stream heads in the New Park Mountains, and pursues a south- 
west course for about one hundred miles, recieving in that distance seve- 
n\ large tributaries from the east, when it finally discharges itself into 
Green river, near lat. 41° North. 

Crossing the Yampah, we soon struck the Elk Head, or Little Bear, a 
principal affluent from the right, and continuing our course up its valley. 
After passing a small ridge, on the .30th Nov. v/e found ourselves upon the 
head waters of the Platte. 

iron twice spoke the death- word, and at the same time ; then vdth his pipe-stem h» 
bade a third one go to the Spirit Land ; and, as he drew forth his butcher- knife t« 
•hoot me, I had fled beyond reach, tliat I might tell you how to escape ! Haste, ye 
€ee ! It is the Big Medicine that comes from yon ! Flee, lest he kill us all !" 

Following his advice, the astonished savages immediately fled with the greatest 
aonstemation, fully persuaded it wa,s their only mode of escaping from c«rtam d^ 
Aruction at the hands of the Big Medicine ! 



286 THE NEW PARK. 

Proceeding by tlie valley of a creek tributary to the above river, the day 
following we came to a considerable branch from the south, and camped 
near its mouth, for the purpose of killing buffalo, of which vast numl>era 
thronged the vicinity. 

The valleys of the Yampah and Little Bear were broad, in places, with a 
deep soil of dark, sandy loam, and tolerably well timbered. 

The country contiguous to them was rugged and generally sterile ; tht 
soil, with the exception of the creek bottoms, being shallow and sandy, and 
infested with extensive fields of absinthe. 

By the way we passed a fort, formerly occupied by a company of trap- 
pers under the command of Frapp, near which himself and four other 
whites were killed in an engagement with the Sioux some two years since. 
The Indians lost fifteen or twenty of their warriors in killed and wounded, 
but succeeded in driving ofl^ eighty head of horses as their booty. 

Among the rocks of the hills I noticed frequent clusters of larb, richly 
laden with its deep red berry,* both tempting to the eye and pleasing to the 
taste. 

On reaching the Platte we were ushered into a large and beautiful circu- 
lar valley, known as the New Park. 

This valiey is thirty-five miles in width by thirty in breadth, and is shut 
in upon all sides by lofty mountains, whose summits tower far above tha 
enow-line and sport their white-caps through each returning year. It ii 
well watered by numerous streams that trace their course from the neigh- 
boring heights to commingle with the Platte. 

The river makes its exit from this place by a forced passage through nar- 
row defiles, between the Medicine Bow and New Park Mountains, forming 
a canon several miles in length, defined by precipitous walls, varying in 
height from fifty to six hundred feet. 

The New Park valley aflbrds considerable timber of various kinds, and a 
fertile soil, well adapted to cultivation. The superfice is usually a thick 
mould, compounded of clay, sand, and gravel, witli decomposed vegetable 
matter ; while the bottoms disclose a rich alluvion of two or three feet 
depth. 

The entire country was crowded with game, in countless numbers, both 
of buffalo, elk, and deer. It seemed as though a general ingathering from 
mountain, hill, and plain, had taken place to winter in this chosen spot. 

It is said the great abundance of game first suggested the christening of 
the locality as the Nsw Park. 

We remained in our encampment till the 6th of December, and improved 
the interval in procuring a choice supply of meat, and feasting upon thoat 
dehcious viands which mountaineers so well know how to acquire and dia^ 
pose of. 

The day preceding our departure, a fall of enow covered the ground fct 

• The larb-berry is of a deep red color, and somewhat larger than the common cur 
mat. It is of a sweet spicy taste, and very pleasant. It grows upon a small grouiuh 
vine of evergreen, with a leaf assimilating the winter-clover in shape, ai\d is fcwkl 
«Jj in mountainous regions. 



EOUTS TO BAYOU SALDAB. 287 

inches, but the lapee of a few hours served to disclose the bart 
fegetation of the valleys, and denuded spots upon the mountain sides. 

Again en rotUe, we continued up a large stream from the south and struck 
into a broad trail, which led through large openings and forests of aspen 
across the main mountain chain, to the waters of Grand river, into a beauv 
tiful valley known as the Old Park, where we remained encamped the two 
days subsequent. 

Our nearest route to Fort Lancaster would have been by C&che a la 
Poudre, or Long's Peak ; but, accumulating snows admonished us to abai>> 
don the Atlantic side of the mountains for a more southern latitude. 

The country in the vicinity of the Old Park is highly interesting. Item- 
braces a large tract of fertile territory, well watered and timbered, but more 
CB* less undulating, and is hemmed in by high mountains, which are clothed 
with lateral forests of pine, cedar, and aspen. 

This valley ranges from east to west ; and, heading at the base of Long's 
Peak, finds its opposite extremity at the canon by which Grand river 
emerges through the opposing barriers of mountain spurs. 

The Old Park also, like the New, receives its appellation from the great 
abundance of game for which it is celebrated. 



CHAPTER XXVm. 



from Grand river to Bayou Saiade. — Observations by the way.— Description of the 
Bayou. — Voracity of magpies. — Journey to Cherry creek. — Country en route. — 
Crystal creek. — Abundance of game. — Antelope hunting. — Remarkable sagacity of 
wolves. — Snow storms and amusemeni. — Ravena. — Move camp. — Comfortable win- 
ter quarters. — Animal food conducive to general health and Ionge^^ty. — A laugha- 
ble instance of sound sleepuig. — Astonishing wolfine rapacity. — Beaver lodges and 
aH about beaver.-— Hunting excursion.— Vasque's creek, its valleys, table lands, 
mountains, and prairiee. — Camp. — I^eft alone. — Senjsations, and care to avoid dan- 
fer. — A nocturnal visitor. — Thrilling adventure and narrow escape. — A lofty speoi 
men of" gettin down stairs." — Geological statistics. 

While camped at the Old Park, I improved the opportunity for ranging 
among the adjacent mountains, whose stem recesses disclosed many smil- 
ing beauty-spots. The weather continued pleasant, though somewhat colder 
than usual ; and, notwithstanding the snow in places lay quite deep, it had 
acquired great solidity and compactness. 

On the 10th of December we were again under way. 

Crossinff Grand river and continuing up a southern tributary, through a 
a narrow defile of mountains, to a large valley formed at the junction of 
three principal branches, known us La Bonte's-hole, and choosing the mii 
die one, we proceeded to its head, — thence, passing the dividing ridge by a 
well-beaten boflaio trail, to the right of Long's Peak, on tht ICth wt 



288 VORACITY or MAGPIES. 

reached Bayou Sal&de, another extensive valley at the head of the Soath 
Fork of the Platte. Here, selecting a good camping place in a beautiful 
grove of aspen, we remained till the 19th inst. 

This last stage of our journey proved difficult and tedious. Although the 
passing throngs of buffalo had afforded a well-marked trail, our horses fre- 
quently became so mired in snow, we were compelled to extricate them by 
main strength,— two or three storms, in the mean time, having increased the 
quantity to an average depth of twelve or fourteen inches. 

The valleys and sunny hill-sides, however, were generally bare, and af- 
forded some agreeable respites to the toil of travellmg. 

The prevailing rock appeared to be granite, mica slate, and sandstone. 
The soil of the valleys gave evidence of fertility, as did occasional spota 
upon the hill-sides. 

The streams were most of them skirted with cottonwood, aspen, and box- 
elder, while the hills and mountains presented frequent groves of pine and 
cedar. 

Game, in all the different varieties common to the country, was seen in 
great abundance the entire route. 

Bayou Salade is a valley some thirty-five miles long by fifteen wide, 
bounded upon all sides by lofty mountain chains, witli 5ie exception of the 
south, where a broad stretch of high, rugged hills and rolling prairies sepa- 
rates it from the Arkansas. 

The Platte, on emerging from this place, makes its final entrance into the 
grand prairie by a narrow gorge in the mountain chain that extends to a 
distance of several miles. Upon the southeast, the frowning summits of 
Pike's Peak tower to a height of 12,600 feet above the level of the Gulf of 
Mexicoj and upon the west the continuous chain of the Green Mountains, 
clothed in eternal snow, point skyward in solemn grandeur. 

The numerous streams that find their sources in the neighborhood are 
well timbered, and present many interesting bottoms of rich alluvial soil. 

The valley is densely thronged with buffalo, while vast quantities of 
deer, elk, and antelope unite to increase the number and variety of its 
game. 

The weather at this time proved uncomfortably cold. Snow lying upon 
the ground to the depth of several inches, we were necessitated to feed our 
horses upon cottonwood bark during the interim. 

Bayou Salade bears the name of being subject to severe winters, but 
whether correctly or not, I am unable to say. It is undoubtedly well 
idapted to stock-raising, and, were it not for unseasonable frosts, might be 
turned to good account for agricultural purposes. 

The magpies were more troublesome and audacious in their depredations 
hereabouts, than in any place we liad yet visited. Twc mules, whose 
backs bad become sore from continued service under the saddle, were se- 
verely annoyed by these relentless pesecutors, which, despite opposing 
effort, would pierce the skinless flesh with their beaks and feast upon their 
agonizing victims. 

To save the poor sufferers from being devoured alive, we were conv 



CAMP AT CHERRY CREEK. *^ 



pelled to envelope thera with thick coverings of bufialo robes, and even thei 
the rapacious cormoiunts could scarcely be prevented from renewing their 
cruel repast. 

Dec. I9ih. Again resuming our journey, we continued in a southeast 
direction, over a low ridge of hills, and found ourselves in a very rough 
country, interspersed with frequent valleys which head several well tim- 
bered affluents of the Arkansas ; — thence, passing around the southern 
extremity of a lofty mountain range, we struck Fontaine qui Bouit a few 
miles below the Soda spring. 

Crossing this stream, we travelled north by west, following the moun- 
tain ridge at its base for some forty miles, which brought us to the Platte j 
— thence, keeping the river bottom, on the 28th we made camp at Cherry 
creek, a short distance above its mouth. 

The interesting and romantic country in the vicinity of Pike's Peak and 
Fontaine qui Bouit has already been described in full, and needs but one 
passing remark in attestation of the mildness of its climate, viz : the 
ground was free from snow, and afforded occasional spots of green grass. 

Near this place we encountered a small hunting party of Arapaho In- 
dians, and obtained from them a choice supply of fresh meat. 

The mterval from the Soda spring to the Platte, after passing the high, 
towering and isolated walls of red granitic sandstone to the northward, be- 
trays a mixed character of wildness and beauty. The vast forests of stately 
pines, surmounting the long rolling hills to the right, which are relieved 
as the traveller advances by high table lands and quadrangular-shaped 
eminences that disclose their bare sides, ever and anon graced with lateral 
cedars and dwarf oaks ; and then the heaven-scaling summits ihat, in con- 
tinuous chain, oppose an impregnable wall upon the left, unite to define a 
broad-spread of undulating prairie, some eight or ten miles wide, well wa- 
tered and possessed of a good soil. 

The prevailing rock of this section appeared to be sandstone and lime- 
stone, intermixed with conglomerates of various kinds. 

I noticed two or three small ridges, several miles long, running parallel 
with the mountains at regular distances, in an uninterrupted course, pre- 
senting continued hnes of thin strata planted vertically in their sharp 
crests, and reaching to an elevation of thirty or forty feet, that, with broken 
finaoments encumbering their sides, looked like the half-fallen walls of some 
ai lent fortification. 

Among several affluents of the Platte irom the right, we crossed Crys- 
tal creek, a stream which derives its name from the existence af crystal in 
its sandy bed. This creek is tolerably well timbered and possesses a rich 
bottom of variable width, producing at the proper season a luxuriant growth 
of vegetation. 

Our horses being quite enfeebled from the fatigue of travel, we gladly 
availed ourselves of the presence of buffalo to prolong our stay at Qierry 
creek some ten days, and meanwhile found no difficulty in procuring a con- 
tinued feast of good things fi-ora the dense herds that thronged tlie countrf 
upon ejBry side. 

2§ 



»o jarrRATEGY of wolves. 

The severe weather and frequent snows of the past two months, had 
driven these animals from the open prairie into the creek hottoms and 
mountains, whose vicinities were completely blackened with their countless 
thousands. 

The antelope, too, seemed to have congregated from all parts, and cover- 
ed the country in one almost unbroken band. Their numbers exceeded 
any thing of the kind I ever witnessed before or since. We amused our- 
selves at times in shooting them merely for their skins, the latter being su 
perior to those of deer or even sheep in its nicity of texture and silky soft 



One day, as was my custom, I left camp for the above purpose, and had 
proceeded but a short distance, when, happening upon a large band of ant^ 
lope, a discharge from my piece brought down one of its number. 

Before reaching it, however, my supposed victim had rejoined his com- 
panions, and the whole throng were lost to view almost with the speed of 
thought. 

The profuseness of blood that marked its trail through the snow, induced 
me to follow it in expectation of soon obtaining the object of my pursuit ; 
but in vain. 

At Jengtli, after travelUng four or five miles, I began to despair of suo- 
cess and, feeling weary, sat down upon the point of a small hill that com- 
mjuided a view of the surrounding prairie. While here an unusual stir 
among the wolves attracted my attention, and I amused myself by watch- 
ing their movements. 

Upon a neighboring eminence some fifty or a hundred of these insatiate 
marauders were congregated, as if for consultation. Adjoining this, two 
parallel hues of low hills led out from the river bottom into the prairie, for 
five or six miles, defining a narrow valley, at the extremity of which a 
large band of antelope were quietly grazing. 

The chief topic of the wolfine conference seemed to have particular re- 
ference to this circumstance ; for, in a very short time, the council dis- 
persed, and its members betook to the hills skirting the valley before de- 
scribed, and, stationing themselves upon both lines at regular intervals, 
two of them commenced the attack by leisurely approaching their destined 
prey from opposite diiections, in such a manner as to drive the whole band 
between the defile of hungry expectants. This done, the chase began 
without further preliminary. 

Each wolf performed his part by pursuing the teiTified antelope till re- 
lieved by his next companion, and he by tlie succeeding one ; and so on, 
alternately ; taking care to reverse their course at either extremity of the 
defile — again and again to run the death-race, until, exliausted by the inces- 
sant eflTort and crazed with terror, the agile animals, that were wont to bid 
defiance to the swiftest steed, and rival tiie storm-wind in iieetness, fell 
easy victims to the sagacity of their enemie.s. 

I watched the operation until several of them yielded their lifeless car- 
cases to appease the appetite of their rapacious pursuers, when I returned 
to camp with far more exalted ideas of the instinctive intelligence of wolves 
(savoring so strongly of reason and calculation) than I had previously en- 
tertaindd. 



ANIMAL FOOD CONDUCIVE TO GENERAL HEALTH. 291 



Two or three severe snow-storms occurred shortly after our arrival ; but 
laving constructed commodious shantees in regular mountain style, with 
«rge fires in tront, we were botli dry and comfortable. 

These occasions, too, afforded their own amusement. Snugly stowed 
away in bed, with our rifles at hand, whenever a straggling wolf ventured 
within gun-shot, in fond hopes of a deserted camp, he was almost sure to 
fall a victim to his own temerity. 

Bands of five or ten would frequently approach almost to the camp-fire, 
totally unsuspicious of danger till the sharp crack of a rifle told the fall of 
some one of their number. 

A swarm of ravens, allured by the carcases of these animals, peopled 
the grove near by. Having devoured the timely feast, still the poor birds 
remained, making the day dismal with their tireless croakings, as if in im- 
portunate supplication for a further boon. 

Three of them soon became quite domesticated, and would approach fear- 
lessly to the very verge of the camp-fire in quest of the offals of our culi- 
nary department. 

One, however, by far exceeded his two companions in boldness, and 
would venture within a few feet of us at any time. 

So audacious was his conduct, and so insatiate his appetite, his comradei 
took occasion to bestow upon him frequent chastisements ; but all to no 
purpose. At length, abandoning all hope of effecting the desired reforma- 
tion, they set upon the offending bird, nor relinquished their purpose till 
the life of the luckless gormandizer had expiated tlie crime of his unraven 
like conduct, and his executioners were left to enjoy their daily repasts with- 
out the annoyance of his presence. 

Jan. I6ih, 1843. Having received an accession of tliree men to our 
number, from Fort Lancaster, we removed some six or eight miles further 
down tiie Platte, and camped in a large grove of cottonwood upon the 
light bank. 

At this place it was our daily pmctice to fell two or three small trees for 
(^ur horses, as we now considered ourselves fully established in winter 
quarters. Game was plenty, and wood abundant ; nothing, therefore, re- 
mained for us to do but to recruit our horses, eat of the best the prairie af- 
forded, drink of the crystal waters that rolled by our side, and enjoy life in 
true mountain style; nor did we neglect the opportunity of so doing. In 
fact, had the world been searched over, it would have been hard to find a 
jollier set of fellows than we. 

The effort of a few hours v/as sufficient to procure a month's supply of 
the choicest delicacies, nor is it marvellous tliat, to use a cant phrase of 
t}»e country, we soon became "fat, ragged, and saucy. ^^ 

Perhaps nothing is more conducive to good health than animal food. In 
proof of this I need only to refer to the uniform good health of those sub- 
sisting entirely upon it. 

Sickness of any kind is rarely known to the various Indian tnbes con 
fined exclusively to its use. These people almost invariably live to an <»• 



292 SOUND SLEEPnra. 



traordinary age, unless cut off by the ravages of war or some unforeseen 
event. Consumption, dyspepsy, colds, and fevers, are alike strangers to 
them. 

The same observation holds good in regard to the whites who reside in 
this country and subsist in a similar manner. 

I have known confirmed cases both of consumption and dyspepsy 
cured by visiting these regions and submitting exclusively to this mode of 
living. 

For my own part, I felt not the least indisposed during the entir 
period of my stay, nor did I even hear of an instance of death from 
natural causes in the mean time, and but rarely of a case cf sick- 
ness, however slight. The same also has been repeatedly remarked Ji 
my hearing by persons who have resided here for ten or twelve years, 
and whose united experience corroborates my own. 

A further fact, relative to the teeth, is worthy of note in connection 
with this subject. These never suffer by decay or aches, when em- 
ployed only in the mastication of flesh ; or, at least, I have never seen or 
heard of an instance of the kind. 

I am, therefore, led to conclude from the foregoing facts, that animal 
food is in every respect the most wholesome and innocent diet which 
can be adopted. 

A person in the enjoyment of good health and a quiet mind, generally 
sleeps sound. In proof that such was the case with our party, I need only 
advert to a circumstance which here occurred. 

Having awoke one moonshiny night, and observing an unusual number 
of wolves in the vicinity of camp, I seized my rifle and shot one of them; 
Boon after I improved the opportunity to lay another prostrate, and in a few 
minutes subsequent a third fell in like manner ; all at three several shots. 

A continuation of the sport seemed likely to detract too much from the 
hours of sleep, and so, placing the victims in front of the camp-fire, I ad- 
dressed myself to repose. 

A light snow fell in the interval, and sunrise found us all in bed, patiently 
waiting to see who would have the courage to rise first. At lengtli, one 
man jumped up and turned to renew the fire. On noticing the wolves 
before it he wheeled for his rifle, in his eagerness to secure which he fell 
Fprawling at full length. 

" Hello !" says one ; "what's the matter, my boy. Is that are a sample 
of the ups and downs of life ?" 

"Matter?" exclaimed our hero, gathering himself up in double-quick 
time, and rushing for his gun ; " matter enough ! The cursed wolves have 
grown so bold and saucy, that they come to the fire to warm themselves ! 
Only look ! A dozen or more of 'em are there now, in broad day-fight ! 
Get up, quick I and let's kill 'em!" 

Aroused by this extraordinary announcement, the whole posse were in- 
stantly on their feet to repel the audacious invaders ; when, lo ! the cause 
of alarm proved three dead carcases. 

But, where did they come from ? When were they killed ? Who placed 
them there ? These were questions none were able to solve, and in regard 
lo whidi all were profoundly ignorant Finally, the circumstance ocg»> 



ABOUT BEATElt 295 

sioned quite an animated discussion, which was soon merged into angry 
dispute ; and, after amusing' myself awhile at their expense, I unravelled 
the mystery, to the surprise of all. 

" Can it be possible !" was the general exclamation, — " can it be possible 
that we should have slept so sound as not to hear the report of a rifle fired 
three times in succession, and under our very ears, at that!" 

" This reminds me," said one, " of dreaming that somebody fired du- 
ring the night. But it seemed so much like other dream? I had forgotten 
it till now." 

" Well," retorted a second, " we are a pretty set of customers to live 
in a dangerous country ! Why, a single Indian might have come into camp 
and killed the whole of us, one after another, with all the ease imaginable !'' 

The above incident induced the narration of a circumstance, happening 
to an individual of my acquaintance two or three weeks previous. 

He had been into the mountains after deer, and was on his return to 
the Fort for a fresh supply of ammunition, and, having occasion to camp out 
at night, like a genuine mountaineer, he took his saddle for a pillow. 
This, being covered with raw hide, excited the cupidity of a marauding 
wolf. 

The hungry beast felt ill-disposed to let slip an opportunity thus faTora- 
ble for appeasing his appetite with a dry morsel, and so, gently drawing it 
from beneath the head of the unconscious sleeper, <he bore off his prize 
to devour it at his leisure. 

In the morning our hero awoke minus saddle, and nothing save a num- 
ber of wolf-tracks at his head furnished clue to the mystery of its disi^p- 
pearance ; and, after spending several hours in fruitless search, neither 
hide or hair of it could be found. 

In the river bank near camp were two lodges of beaver, whose saga- 
cious occupants gave frequent indications of their industrious habits by 
the magnitude of their performances. Several trees, ten or twelve inches 
in diameter, had been freshly felled by them to furnish their families 
with food. 

In such operations they exhibit an instinctive intelligence well-nigh ap- 
proaching to reason. They uniformerly select trees that stand above 
their lodges, in order to avail themselves of the current in conveying their 
timber to the destined place of deposit. 

When a tree is thus chosen, the cautious little animal first carefully 
notices the point towards which its top inclines, and then sets himself to 
work at the opposite side. As his task approaches its completion, he fre- 
quently retires a short distance to observe the direction in which the tree is 
hkely to fall, by watching its motions, and renews his labors with great cau- 
tion. Upon the first indication of iUejhiale, like an experienced woodsman, 
he instantly witndraws beyond the reach of danger, and leaves the tottering 
forest- monarch to announce his fallen greatness in the awful crash by 
which he is bespread upon the ground. 

The process of chopping is then performed by severing the trunk into 
blocks, some three feet in length, suitable for transportation, which are 
severaJly taken to the " slide " and rolled into the stream, by the cuiminf 



2W HUNTING EXCURSION. 



animal — using his tail as a substitute for hands. As they fall one after 
another, he plunges in and guides them to thoir destination, where they 
are safely moored for future use. 

The beaver possesses great strength in his tail, which is twelve or fif 
teen inches long, four broad, and a half inch thick. This part of the ani- 
mal is highly esteemed by trappers, and assimilates a fish in taste, though 
it is far superior to any of the finny tribe. 

His teeth are very sharp, (incisors,) two inches or more in length, per- 
fectly round and of a uniform size, with the exception of the cutting 
extremities, which are gouge-like, about the eighth of an inch in diameter, 
and nearly in the shape of a semicircle. 

Beaver lodges are commonly constructed in holes carefully excavated in 
tlie banks of streams, in such a manner that the entrances are entirely 
covered by water. It is very rarely they build in an}'^ other manner, not- 
withstanding most writers upon this subject assert the contrary. 

The female usually produces two, and sometimes three, at a birth, but 
seldom rears more than one ; — first destroying the least likely, she bestows 
much attention upon her favorite offspring, and nurses it with great tender- 



The character and habits of this curious animal, in other respects, have 
probably met the reader's eye through other sources, so tliat a more ex- 
tended notice under this head would be unnecssary. 

Having procured a fresh supply of ammunition from Fort Lancaster, 
■ome tw" weeks succeeding our arrival at this place I visited the moun« 
tains on a hunting excursion, in company with a single voyageur. 

Our course lead up Vasque's creek for fifteen or tvv-enty miles, to a ridge 
cf high table land, through which we passed, by a circuitous route, and 
were ushered into a broad and beautiful valley, bounded upon the east by 
the ridge before named, and on the west by a lofty mountain chain. 

Vasque's creek is well timbered, and has a rich bottom, averaging one 
mile in breadth, and is skirted by a slightly undulating prairie, quite pro- 
ductive in various kinds of grasses. 

This creek is from eight to ten yards wide, and affords a body of water 
more than a foot in depth. It heads in the main chain of the moun 
tains, where it claims a valley of considerable extent, enclosed upon al 
sides by lofty ridges that preclude the possibility of approach, except a 
two points marking an Indian pass to the waters of Grand river. 

From thence it winds its way between long defiles of mountains, tha" 
close in abruptly upon its very water's edge, till it finally intersects th( 
valley first spoken of, and forces itself through the high ridge of table land 
into the open prairie. 

Finding an abundance of deer in the vicinity, we struck camp and made 
It our hunting-ground for the time being. Our efforts were very success- 
ful, and seldom a favorable day passed without giving us the skins and 
choice parts of two or more deer. 

Nothing occurred to mar our enjoyment for the first two or three weeks, 
at which tinre my comrade, having unfortunately broken his gun-lock, wai 



MIRACULOUS ESCAPE. 297 

eompelledto return to the Fort for repairs. I resolved, however, to remain 
$olo^ despite his entreaties to the contrary. 

This was the first trial I ever made of hermit-life, and I must conftiSs, 
that after the first sensations of repulsive loneliness had been overcome, I 
felt much attached to it. as subsequent pages will prove. 

Yet there was something so forbidding in the idea of my real situation, I 
seldom roA erted to it without experiencing feelings of gloomy apprehen- 
sion. Nor need it be wondered at, removed as I was far away from friendly 
aid, and in a dangerous country, with a tliousand terrific scenes awaiting 
me at every step. 

Still, in a little time I learned to forget all this, and roamed as freely by 
day, and slept as soundly by night, as though surrounded by friends and 
guarded by hosts of armed men. 

But the reader must not infer from these remarks that I had settled down 
in a state of careless security, for I took especial care a all times to avoid 
surprise, by close attention to certain indications which my own obserya^ 
tion had taught me to regard as the general precursors of danger from a 
savage foe, in order, by a timely movement, to escape a contact so fraught 
with peril. 

For several nights I had a constant visitor in the shape of a prairie-fox, — 
a creature about twice the size of a large red squirrel. He came to ap- 
pease his hunger from the small scraps of esculents that lay scattered 
about camp,— devouring them while seated composedly by the fire. 

My stock of provisions was usually secured, at night, by substituting it 
for a pillow ; but Mr. Reynard soon became so emboldened that he repeat- 
edly took occasion to help himself, even at the risk of sundry cufTs it was 
my wont to bestow upon him whenever his eagerness led him to deal too 
rouglily with my hair. 

Two incidents of perilous adventure occurred during this interval, 
which are perhaps not unworthy of narration. 

One day, having proceeded farther from camp than was my custom with- 
out finding game, tov/ards night I came to the broad escarp of a mountain, 
covered with scattering pines, and ascended to its summit in hopes of en- 
countering deer or sheep, a.s the place gave indications of both. Here I 
stood at the very verge of a vast precipice, some four m five hundred feet 
high, overlooking a narrow valley, counter-scarped by a rough mountain 
chain, where a large band of elk were quietly grazing. The sight appeared 
so tempting I was unwilling to forego the opportunity of giving them a 
passing shot 

But how to get at them was the question. To go around the hill would 
require a detour of some six miles, and consume too much time, as the day 
was fast closing. Unless some means could be found enabling me to de- 
scend the wall, it was evident I must abandon my design. 

Accordingly, after a short search, having found a ravine-like pass, worn 
by the rains and fiJing rock, that apparently led to the valley below, I at- 
tempted a descent. 

The breakage was steep and narrow, and the loose fragments and dtk 



•98 -OETTIN DOWN STAIRS.- 

rdus from the crags above, rendered a foot-hold quite insecure. Yet 1 
progressed without much difficulty, and began to congratulate myself on 
an anticipated speedy exit from seeming danger, when, coming suddenly tc» 
an abrupt precipice, of sixty or seventy feet perpendicular descent, and 
paved far around its base with sharp rocks presenting their keen edges 
like so many hatchets set on end, I was thrown all aback at the appalling 
spectacle. 

In vain I trieil to retrace my steps. The sides refused to suvstain my 
weight, and the yielding surface, to which I clung with a death-like tenacity, 
threatened every moment to plunge me headlong from the frightful steep, 
to be dashed in pieces among the rocks below. 

That moment was an awful one ! Retreat was impossible, — advance 
was certain death, — the time for reflection was fast waning, for every in- 
stant brought me nearer and still nearer to the fatal verge ! 

It was then I bestowed a fleeting thought upon loved and absent friends, 
—one fleeting tliought upon a far distant home and all the cherished endear- 
ments of childhood, — and, commending my soul to the Great Author of its 
existence in a brief prayer, I turned to gaze calmly upon the yawning 
jaws of fate that awaited my speedy destruction. 

But here a ray of hope burst from the thick cloud which till now seemed 
just ready to merge the sun of existence into the density of its own dark- 



A tall pine grew at the base ot the precipice, some fifty yards distant,- 
two narrow shelves of protruding rock, six or seven feet apart, led towards 
the tree, affbrding a sufficient hold for hands and feet to a person standing 
at full length. 

My decision was instantly formed. Carefully dropping my rifle from the 
steep, by dint of great exertion I gained the shelves, that seemed as if 
made expressly for an occasion like the present ; — then, by moving later* 
ally, inch by inch, along the dizzy side, in a short time I had progressed to 
the tree, whose topmost branch lay just within my reach. Grasping this 
firmly in one hand, and disengaging the other to be used as the emergency 
might require, I threw myself backward among the surrounding boughs, 
and, lodging in safety, was left to descend at leisure the remaining dis- 
tance. 

Once more upon a sure footing, the occurrences of the day had proved a 
sufficient gorge to present ambition ; so, seizing my rifle, (which had luck- 
ily fallen uninjured.) I bade farewell to the unconscious elk and returned 
to camp. There, with early night I found myself transported to the land 
of dreams in the drowsy car of sleep. 

But, instead of wild beasts and prowling savages thirsting for blood, 
such as the danger of my lonely situation would naturally inspire, my 
mind was filled with visions of deep chasms, frightful precipices, and yawn- 
ing steeps, that seemed to meet me at every turn, aflbrding no possible way 
of escape; and thrice glad was I when wakeful morning chased these 
horrid phantoms far away, and revealed to me the welcome reality of 
oooscioas safety. 

Soon after the adventure above related, another transpired of a somewhal 
gimilar nature 



GE6L0GICAL REMA&KS. *^ 



The rugged mountain chain forming the western boundary of the val- 
ley, afibrded numerous black-tailed deer and sheep. The skins of thess 
animals being much larger than those of the common deer and antelope, I 
was induced to scour the vicinity, occasionally, in pursuit of them. 

One day, having gone to a considerable aistance on this errand, I waa 
passing along upon the crest of a sharp peak, of great height and steep 
iides. 

The ridge ranged from northwest to southeast, leaving upon its nght 
Bide a vast spread of smooth snow, encrusting it from summit to base, and 
upon its left, a lateral vallon, entirely bare and graced with frequent spots 
of grass, as yet green and flourishing. 

One of these niches was occupied by a band of wild sheep, which were 
so situated they could not be successfully approached, unless from the op- 
posite side of the peak. Attempting this, I was proceeding slowly along, 
by means of steps implanted in the thick crust with the breech of my 
rifle, and had almost attained the point designed, when, losing foot-hold, I 
fell prostrate, and, after gliding the distance of a full mile, almost with the 
speed of thought, found myself immersed in a huge bank of loose snow, at 
the foot of the mountain. 

It is all nonsense to talk of steam-boats and rail-road cars, in comparison 
with the velocity of such a lofty specimen of " gettin down stairs !" Few 
mortals, I may venture to say, ever got along in the world half so fast M 
did myself in this grand avalanche from the mountain-top. 

The country contiguous to this valley is generally possessed of a very 
good soil, both in the prairies, table lands, and mountains. Bordering upon 
the watercourses, the surface discloses a deep mould of sand and gravel, 
exceedingly fertile, reposed upon a substratum of granite and micaceoui 
sandstone ; the prairiss presented a mixed superfice of sand, clay, and 
gravel, rather thin and light, and strongly impregnated with various salts, 
—and the table lands, a compound of stiff clay, stone, and gravel, partially 
enriched by the fertilizing properties of vegetable and animal matter and 
the genial auxiliaries of disintegrated rock, with now and then a diminu- 
tive spot destitute of grass or herb and whitened by a thin coating of sa- 
line efflorescence. 

The prevailing rock is sandstone, granite, gneiss, limestone, and larg9 
boulders of the primitive formation. 

The only indication of minerals, so far as my observation extended, was 
that of iron, though doubtless due research would bring tO light a rich sup 
ply of other valuabls ores. 



300 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

to the Fort—Texan recruiting officer.— New plans. — Volunteer.— The Chanet 
Shot, or Special Providence. — Teian camp. — Country contiguous to the Arkansas, 
from Fountaine qui Bouit to the Rio de las Animas. — Things at rendezvous.— A 
glance at the company. — Disposal of force. — March up the de las Animas. — The 
country ; Tirapa valley, and its adjoining hills, to the de las Animas. — The latter 
stream ; its canon, valley and enchanting scenery. — Tedious egress. — Unparalleled 
Buflfering from hunger, toil, and cold. — Wolf flesh and buffalo hide. — Painful coa- 
sequences of eating cacti. — A feast of mule meat after seven days* starvation.— 
Camp at the Taos trail.— The adjacent country .^-Strict guard.— A chase.— The 

reward for Treason. 



On the 16th of Feb., my stock of ammunition having failed, I proceeded 
to Fort Lancaster for a fresh supply, where I encountered a Texan recruit- 
ing officer, sporting a Colonel's commission, that bore the signature of 
•* Sam Houston," President of the Republic. 

The object of this personage was to raise a company of volunteer rifle- 
men, to act in conjunction with a large force said to be then on its way foi 
the invasion of Santa Fe. The main design of the expedition was to annoy 
the Mexican frontier, intercept their trade, and force them, if possible, to 
some terms by which a peace might be secured between the two countries. 

The proposed rifle company was to be vested with discretionary powers, 
and perform the duties of a scouting party to the main army. Each of its 
members was to be regularly enlisted for the term of nine months, — armed 
with a good rifle and pistols, and mounted upon a stout, serviceable horse. 

Great inducements, by way of promises, were also held out, to secure a 
prompt and ready enlistment ; and, in fact, the whole affair was represented 
in a light so favorable, few possessed of the necessary means for equipping 
themselves refused to enter their names upon the muster-roll, and rally 
beneath the banner of the Lone Star. 

One thing, however, served to awaken in the bosom of each the genuine 
martial spirit, more than all the eloquence of the fluent Colonel ; — tSis was 
the unfurlment of the identical flag, bullet-pierced and tattered, that had 
stood as the genius of victory at the sanguinary battle of Corpus Christi, io 
the early days of the Texan revolution. 

Who could refuse to respond favorably to a call backed by arguments M 
potent ? — not I. 

Soon after Colonel Warfield, for such was the officer's name, set out on 
his return to the scene of intended operations, accompanied by some twelve 
or fifteen men, having named for his rendezvous a point within the Mexi- 
can territory, near tlie confluence of the Rio de las Animas and the waters 
of the Arkansas. Circumstances were such at the time it was inconve- 
nient for me to leave, and eight or tea days intervened before my departure H 
join the expedition. 



NO FANCY SKETOIL «01 



Meanwhile, it stormed almost incessantly, and the prairies presented 
aanght save one vast expanse of gloomy desolation covered with deep and 
trackless snow. 

The distance to be travelled was not far from two hundred miles, through 
a country inhabited only by wild beasts and strolling savages. Yet, no- 
thing daunted by the cheerless aspect of affairs, having completed my w> 
rangements, I improved the first fair day to launch forth upon the drear 
waste. 

Relying upon the great abundance of game usually encountered en route, 
I took but a small supply of provisions, as, fully equipped, with rifle, pistols, 
butcber-knife, and other requisites, I mounted my horse, and, sohtary and 
alone, commenced the long journey before me. 

Hurrying on as fast as the nature of the case would admit, in the afte> 
noon of the second day, an object, several miles ua advance, arrested my 
attention. Suspicious of danger, but anxious to know its character and ex- 
tent, I cautiously approached and was gratified to find it, instead of the 
lurking savage my imagination had depicted, a white man, hastening with 
eagerness to greet me. 

He was on foot, and looked way-worn and weary to a deplorable extent 
His story was soon told. He was the bearer of despatches from the Arkan- 
sas to Colonel Warfield, — and being compelled to abandon his mule by the 
way, on account of the depth of snow, had proceeded thus far on foot, and, 
for the last three days had been without eating, in the tedious performance 
of the duty committed to his trust. 

Hearing this, I invited him to a creek near by, where I immediately 
struck camp, and laid before him my small stock of eatables, with the as- 
surance it was at his disposal. 

The speedy disappearance of the scanty supply, attested the keenness of 
his appetite, and left us both m a state of utter want. 

On learning that Colonel W. had left for the Arkansas several days 
since, and now most probably had reached his destination, my new ac- 
quaintance concluded to retrace his steps and bear me company. 

The next morning we arose breakfastless and resumed our journey, 
trusting to a kind Providence and our rifles to meet the demands of nature* 
But the snow became deeper the farther we advanced, and prospects more 
and more gloomy at every step. 

Not a Uving creature presented itself to view, nor even the least vestige 
of any thing possessing the breath of Ufe. Before and around lay a vast 
spread of winter-bleached desolation, bounded upon our right by the distant 
mountains, whose towering summits pierced the blue heavens and laughed 
at the clouds and storms below, wbAle in front, and rear, and on our left, the 
curving horizon alone gave limit to vision. i 

Still hope bade us advance, although difficulties continued to multiply ia 
threefold ratio. The second and third day our progress did not exceed 
twelve miles, and yet we had gone so far retreat or advance seemed alik* 
hopeless. 

Starvation stared us in the face, and continued travel through inovr 
efttimes waist deep, reduced our strength and wasted our spirits. 

On the fourth day, however, the weather having become man lEvenU^ 
26 



902 THE CHANCE SHOT. 

we weri enabled to make further headway than the preceding one. We 
also saw v few ravens, but they, as if conscious of our desperate condition, 
cautious!, avoided coming within gun-shot ; — a big rabbit Ukewise showed 
itself in th-> distance, but, being at the top of its speed, disappeared almost 
aa soon as f/een ; — thus we were again doomed to go supperless to bed and 
feast upont'>e well-furnished tables of dreams, which, though they please 
the fancy dcring their continuance, serve only to increase the appetite 
and stimulate its cravings. 

On the moi Mng of the fifth day, as we arose to continue our journey, 
determined to noM out as long as possible, the haggard looks of my com- 
rade excited r?> compassion, and wishing to cheer him, 1 observed, 

" Well, wha would you think were I. to predict for us a good supper to- 
night ]" 

** Really," sai. ha, " I don't know. But there's a poor show for its ful 
filment, any how ' 

"We shall hav\ one, I know it." 

" God send we r;ay. But, pray, where is it to come from. 

** I am quite confident we shall find game. If so, as my rifle bears tlMl 
name of Old Straightciej, and it has never been known to fail in a case o^ 
emergency, I know sb; will maintain her ancient honor." 

" What if we don't fnA game ] Then how." 

" Why, here's my hors;^. It will be of no service to me if I am to di«» 
from starvation. In case w^ find nothing, its carcase shall save our lives.' 

"Horse meat or any thinr else wouldn't go bad, just at this time." 

Thus resolved, we continued our r^ay, plodding along in gloomy silencr 
brooding over the sad realities of oit deplorable situation, — ever and anon 
scanning the vacant expanse, in ihe fas!:-waning hope of looked-for reliei: 
—but as yet looked for in vain. 

The day was fast verging to a close, an.^ I was summoning a sufficien 
cy of fortitude to submit to the sacrifi"^ ,>f ray favorite beast, and rumi 
nating upon the many difficulties and incon eniences that must result 
from such a step, volving and revolving al' th,: pros and cons the cas« 
admitted of, when I was roused from my reverie L v the shrill voice of m) 
comrade, who joyfully exclaimed, 

" Look ! — look ! A bufialo l" — at the same time p^ inting in the direc 
tion it appeared. 

I looked, and sure enough a venerable old bull piMsente^ hi^iseif a fei*. 
hundred yards to the right. 

" Aye, aye, my hearty ! There's a chance for Old Straight*, uei !*' sa*. 
It as, lowering my rifle, I started towards the intended victim, 

" Don't forget," cried my comrade, ** that all my hopes of salvation an 
centred in your rifle-ball." 

The animal was feeding quietly, and I was enabled to approach withn 
Bome sixty yaids of him, when levelhng, I pulled trigger, — but the c&f 
being damp, burst without a discharge. The noise caught the quick ea; 
of the bufialo, and caused him to look round ; — however, seeing nothinfi 
to excite his ularui, he soon^ resumed an employment more agreeable U. 
his taste than needless vigilance. 

Having put fresh powder into the tube, and supplied it with another cam 
I wa» again raising to take aim, aiid had brought my piece nearly haU 



NOTICE OF THE ROUTE. 803 



ehoulderward, when it unceremoniously discharged itseh, buryii-g Iss ball 
in the lights of the buffalo — the very spot I should have selected had it been 
optional witli myself. The old fellow staggered a few steps and fell dead! 

My companion coming up, we soon completed the process of butch Bring, 
and, after furnishing ourselves with an ample supply of choice beef, pro- 
ceeded to a neighboring creek, where, finding a few sticks of drift-wood, a 
fire was quickly kindled, and v/e ended our fast of Jive successive day*, and 
nights with feasting and glad hearts. 

I have always regarded this event as a special Providence, and evei re- 
vert to it with no ordinary feelings of gratitude. Had the ball, thus avjci- 
dentally discharged, missed the animal, or had it only wounded him, in all 
human probability, becoming alarmed at the presence of danger, and 
prompted by the instinct common to the species, he would soon have been 
beyond the reach of pursuit, leaving me to the dernier resort of slaughter- 
mg my horse or perishing among the snows and chill blasts of the prairie. 

Enfeebled as we v/ere from continued toil and suffering, we could have 
scarcely held out a day longer, and even the partial relief afforded by a 
poor supply of horse flesh, left, as we would have been, to travel on foot and 
carry our beds, guns, and provisions, must have served only to prolong our 
miseries a brief space, finally to meet the inevitable fate that threatened 
us ! as this sohtary buffalo was the only living creature that met our view 
during the entire journey. 

I have never consented to dispose of the rough-looking piece long pre 
viously christened " Old Straightener," and, when asked the reason, hav* 
uniformly replied, " It is the only gun I ever saw or heard of that has kill- 
ed game of its own accord ! 

The second day succeeding this occurrence, my companion left me to ob- 
tain his mule, and I completed the remainder of my journey alone, — arriving 
the appointed rendezvous late in the afternoon of the 20th of March. 

The country travelled over, from the Platte to the Arkansas, near the 
mouth of Fontaine qui Bouit, has been fully described in former pages. 

My route, from the mouth of this stream, followed tlie Arkansas for some 
forty miles. The landscape, back from the river-bottoms, was quite undu- 
lating, presenting upon the left a superfice of gravel, clay, and sand, mixed 
with vegetable matter ; and, upon the right, a light, sandy soil, somewhat 
sterile and unproductive. 

Many ricli spots of a deep bluish loam meet the eye of the traveller, in- 
terspersed with spreads of naked sand, or clay whitened by exuding salts, or 
clothed in dwarfish grass; among which numerous clusters of absinthe, 
frequently five or six feet high, are seen in almost every direction. 

The country, as a general thing, is evidently ill-adapted to other thar 
grazing purposes. 

Two broad beds of sand-creeks are passed upon the left, a few miles be- 
low Fontaine qui Bouit, one of which is Black Squirrel creek, and the other 
is known as the Wolf's Den. Upon the right, the Rio San Carlos, Cor- 
nua Virda, Apache, and Huaquetorie, after tracing their serpentine couraet 
from the Taos Mountains, commingle with the Arkansas. 

Some six miles below the mouth of Fontaine qui Bouit ar© the ruiiw of 



•04 PRIMARY MOVEMENTS, 

ui dd fort, occupied several years since by one Capt. Grant as a trading 
port. 

The last of my course, being upon tlie side of the river, was much im- 
peded by mud ; and, although the surface was gene j ally bare, travellln||r 
was even more tedious than it had been at any time hitherto. 

After a series of suffering and deprivation so continued and severe, right 
gladly did I hail the Lone Star banner upon the opposite shore, as their point 
of present termination. 

Fording the Arkansas about a mile above the Texan encampmett, 1 
found it nearly swimming deep, with a swift and muddy current over a bed 
of quicksand and gravel. 

My appearance created no little surprise among all present, as they had 
•everal days since numbered me with those who had volunteered with 
great readiness, so far as promises were concerned ; but, when pbbform- 
ASCES were required, ^^carne up missing.''^ 

I must confess, however, to great disappointment in the diminutive force 
that here met my view, which consisted of only twenty-four men, includ- 
ing officers — all told. But several accessions were expected, sufficient to 
swell the number to fifty five or sixty. A party of eighty volunteers from 
the States were to meet us at the " Crossing " of the Arkansas, on the 
Santa Fe trail, together witii a detachment of two hundred and fifty from 
Texas ; and, with these reinforcements, it was confidently asserted we 
would be equal to the combined force of all New Mexico. 

I immediately reported myseif to the commanding olficer, and was kindly 
welcomed, with the remark, 

•* Well, sir, you are just in time. Anotlier day and you would have 
been too late. We move camp to-morrow mornmg." 

(A pity it was I had not been too late !) 

Withdrawuig from tfje conference, the lapse of a few moments gave me 
an opportunity to look around and see among whom I had fallen. 

It would have been hard to scare up a more motley group of humanity in 
any place tliis side of Mexico. Each mdividual presented a uniform as 
varied as the imagination could depict, tliough tallying well witli the gene- 
ral appearance of the whole company — it was a uniform of rags! 

Still from beneath the dusky visages, half obscured by beards to which 
the kindly operations of their razors had been for weeks and even months 
a stranger, I detected the frauk expression indicating the generous- 
hearted mountaineer, and began lo feel at home, notwithstanding the fast* 
rising feelings of regret that fortune had thrown me in their way. 

Early in the morning of the following day we were drawn up in line and 
divided into two detachments, — one consisting of ten, and the other of 
lourteen men. The first of these, under the command of Colonel Warfield, 
were to proceed to the Crossing of the Arkansas, and await the arrival 
of the main army, or otherwise act as circumstances suggested, while the 
second, headed by a lieutenant, marched up the Rio de las Animas to 
the Toas trail, to perform the duties of a corps of observation until further 
orders. 

It was mjf Jot to accompany the latter, and we promptly commenced 



DESCRIPTION OF THE DE LAS ANIMAS. 305 



After riding a few rniles we struck the Timpa, a small affluent of the 
Arkansas, up which we traveliod till the next day about noon, wlien, coming 
to an Indian trail leading south-southwest to the de las Animas, we follow- 
ed it and reached the latier stream on the 27th of March; continuing up 
the de las Animas, three days subsequently we arrived at our destination. 

The country passed over at the commencement of our journey, for fifteen 
or twenty miles, was a slightly undulating prairie, of a sandy soil, with 
few indications of productiveness. 

Tlie Timpa is entirely destitute of timber, and its valley, though plen- 
tiful in absinihe, is scarcely superior to the surrounding prairie. Sev- 
eral miles previous to leaving it, our course lay between two ridges of 
forbidding and sterile hills, nearly destitute of vegetation, and affording 
only nuw and then a few scraggy cedars and shrubs. Indeed, but very lit- 
tle good land is found in this vicinity. 

On diverging fi-om tlie Timpa the trail crossed a high, arid prairie, 
which was furrowed by deep ravines, and ridged by long rolling hills, 
that were occasionally surmounted by cedars and pinions, until it struck 
the de las Animas. 

The watercourses through this section are rare, and sparsely timber- 
ed, being for the most part shut in by high banks of earth or lofty 
walls of precipitous rock, varying in altitude, and presenting vast chasms, 
passable only at certain points. Their valleys are narrow, but possess 
a fertile soil which is to some extent susceptible of cultivation, while 
many parte of the adjacent prairies might answer for grazing purposes. 

The prevailing rock, so far as my observation extended, was coarse- 
grained granite and limestone. I noticed at places along the creek val- 
leys occasional spots of calcareous earth ; and, in fact, their soils general- 
ly indicated the presence of calcium in their compound, to no incon- 
siderable extent. 

The valley of the Rio de las Animas was by far the most interesting 
and romantic section of country we had as yet entered upon in tlie JVIexi- 
can, or, as it is now claimed, Texan territory. This stream, in English, 
bears the name of Purgatory creek ; in French, it is known as the Fiquer 
Veau, or Water of Suftering; in Indian, it is called the Wild River, and in 
Spanish, it is christened by the term above used, which means the River 
of Souls. 

It rises in the Taos Mountains by two separate heads, a little south 
of the Spanish Peaks, and emerges from its rugged birth-place into the 
plains, where the two branches trace their way for some tifty miles and 
then unite to form one stream. These forks are passably well timbersd, and 
we skirted at intervals with rich bottoms ; but tiie circumjacent country is 
drj JoJJing, and generally barren. 

A biiort distance below their confluence the river cuts its way through 
an expanse of iiigli, barren table lands, for sixty or sixty-five miles, leaving 
abrupt walls of rock and earth on both sides, piled to a varied height of 
from fifty to three or four hundred feet, surmounted by groves of cedar and 
l»inii>n, interspersed with broad pavements of naked rock, imde wastes o^ 
itifl sun-baked clay, and occasional clusters of coarse gTass. 
28* 



306 AOONIZING CONDITION. 

These walls are often perpendicular, though they generally acclint 
somewhat, and are ornamented with scattering shrubs and cedars, which 
m vain seek to hide tlie forbidding deformity of nature. 

They frequently intrude to the veiy water's edge, and pile at their feet 
and in the foaming current huge masses of rock, strown about m all the 
wild disorder of savage scenery; then, expanding at brief inter\'als, they 
picture many sweet, enchanting spots, that smile and bloom in unfading 
loveliness, where angels might recline, and, listening to the chime of their 
own voices, echoed from rock to rock and reverberated with unheard-of 
melody, might lancy themselves in heaven ; then again closing, to open in 
like manner at some favored point, till they finally give place to a broad 
and beautiful valley, from one to three miles in width, of unsurpassed fer- 
tility, and abounding at the proper season in every ^. ariety of fruit and 
flower known to the country, v/hich, mingling amid the the scattering cot- 
tonwoods, (free from under-brush and mimicing in their arrangement the 
regularity of art,) seem to portray the fabled fields of Elysian bliss. 

This valley extends from the mouth of the canon to the junction of the do 
Jas Animas witli the Arkansas — a distance of twenty-five or thirty miles ; for 
ten or fifteen of which it is skirted with receding hills, that maintain their 
stern sublimity till they at length become swallowed up in the far-spreading 
prairie. 

This is a favorite resort for deer, antelope, and turkey, which are found 
in great numbers, gambolling amid its varied beauties, or winding along its 
narrow defiles and forbidden recesses. 

We entered the canon through a narrow and steep declivity, formed by 
a small stream, v/hich was shut in by continuous clilfs, that increased in 
height as they approached their lofty counterparts immurinjt the angry 
river. 

After winding a day and a half among the crags and confused masses, 
which constantly intervened to impede our way, in vain searching for an 
egress, we found it impossible to proceed further, and were forced to climb 
the almost vertical bank, at an ascent of five or six hundred feet, — frequently 
lifting onr horses over the rocks by means of ropes attached to their bodies 
and drawn from the impending summit ; — this tedious process occupied 
nearly a day in its completion, and left us upon the lateral table land ex- 
hausted in strength and worn down with fatigue. 

We were eleven days en route, during which time we suffered greatl> 
from the severity of the weather, hunger, toil, and watching. 

The air was bleak, the winds cold and piercing, and the sky almost 
continually over-cast with clouds, while two or three snow storms contri- 
buted their mite to swell the catalogue of comfortless hours. 

Our horses, too, had becom.e so exhausted ^rom' hard fare and previous 
service, we were necessitated to travel on foot for most of the distance. But 
the grand climax of miseries was experienced through lack of food. 

A scanty supply of buffalo meat, taken with us at the outset, was consumed 
at the next meal, aad we were loft without one morsel to appease the gnaw- 
ings of appetite for the two days and three nights succeeding. 

A straggling wolf tliat chance threw in our way, at the •xpiration of thif 



SPY CAMP. 807 



time, most luckily furniBhed us with a breakfast, though nothing furthef 
entered our mouths till the" morning of the third day from this, when, com- 
ing to the site of a recent Indian encampment, we succeeded in gathering 
a few pieces of dry buffalo hide, that lay scattered about — so hard and tough 
tlie wolves had tried in vain to gnaw them ; these, after being boiled some 
twelve or fourts^en hours, afforded us a paltry substitute for something bet- 
ter, but of so glutinous a nature it almost cemented the teeth employed in 
its mastication. 

The two days following we were again doomed to go hungry and began 
to talk seriously of the imminent danger of starving to death. 

This interval had brought us into tlie canon of de las Aminas, where, 
having struck camp, several of the men sought a temporary respite irom 
tiie torments of hunger by eating roasted cacti ; — the article at first tasted 
well, and from the recommendation of the essayists, several were induced 
to partake of it quite heartily. 

But the lapse of a brief hour or two brought with it the " tug of war," 
when the inherent properties of the cacti began to have their effect upon 
the enervated systems of the participants. 

The painful consequences of this strange diet at first were a weakness 
in the joints, succeeded by a severe trembling and a desire to vomit, accom- 
panied with an almost insufferable paia in the stomach and bowels. 

Three or four of the unfortunate sufferers were in such extreme pain they 
rolled upon the ground for agony, with countenances writhing in every im- 
aginable shape of frightful distortion. 

Hereupon it was decided to sacrifice one of our animals as a last re-oort, 
which was promptly done, and we ended our fast of nearly seven dayn' con- 
tinuance with a feast of mule meat. 

I had heretofore cherished a decided repugnance to tliis kind of food, but 
am in justice bound to say, it proved both sv/eet and tender, and sccrcely 
inferior to beef. The supply thus obtained lasted till we came airoiig buf- 
falo, when ample amends were made for previous abstinence. 

The only game encountered during the march was an ocuapional band of 
antelope or wild horses, whose extreme vigilance and caution set at defi- 
ance all attempts to approach tliem, and sported at the >hr jr^sy of our des^ 
perate efforts. 

Our camp, at the termination of this arduous rj-d eventful jorirTiey, was 
in a small grove of cottonwood, about eight hu-id eJ yards bolov;^ the point 
at which the trail, from Bent's Fort to Taos, cto'>p3j [he right hand fork of 
the de las Animas. 

It was faced on the north by a broad sand/ pa'.rie, fjently undulating 
that, at intervals, disclosed a good soil, and led to a distant ridge of pine-clai 
hills ; while from the west, at a distance of some twenty or thirty miles, 
the proud and isolated summits of the Spanish Peaks, or Huaquetories, 
arose to view, and from the southwest, the lofty and noble tierras lempladas 
that skirt the heads of the Cimarone and Colorado, whose broad topa 
showed themselves in beautiful contrast with the sharp, snow-clad moun 
tain forming the eastern boundary to the valley of Taos ; then, upoo tht 



308 REWARD Or TREASON. 



south and east, a steep bank, twenty-five or tliirty feet high, shut mb from 
the contiguous plain. 

While here, we kept strict and constant guard, in view of anticipated 
movements of the enemy, as, from certain information previously obtained, 
we knew him to be quartered in full force at the nearest settlements. 

Our daily and hourly expectation was to meet a detachment of the Mex 
ican army, then out for the purpose of reconnoitering ; and, weak as we 
were in point of numbers, we felt quite equal to a hundred such soldiers, 
and were anxious for a trial of arms. 

Our stay was prolonged for three or four weeks, and the abundance of 
choice buffalo meat that continued to grace our larder, with the rank growth 
of fresh grass for the sustenance of our animals, imparted an air of cheer- 
fulness and thrift both to man and beast, 

Nothing occurred worthy of note during the interval, save the following 
incident. One day, late in the afternoon, our sentinels announced the ap- 
pearance of a small party of Mexicans at the crossing, and immediate pre- 
parations were made for an attack. Before these could be completed, how- 
ever, our expected enemy was reported as having raised camp and being 
likely to escape by a precipitate retreat towards the Arkansas. Six men, 
mounted upon fleet horses, were immediately detached in pursuit,— of whom 
I was one. 

The chase continued for several miles, and terminated in our overhaul- 
ing three persons, — but, instead of Mexicans, two of them were Americans, 
and the other an Englishman, on their way to the United States with two 
pack mules heavily laden with gold and silver. 

On receiving from them information of the disposition and probable 
whereabouts of the Mexican forces, they were permitted to depart unmo- 
lested, — a circumstance not likely to have happened had we been tlie gang 
of " lawless desperadoes,''^ so hideously depicted in several of the public 
prints of the day, as I have since learned. 

An item of the intelligence received through them, gave us mingled sen-, 
cations of pain and pleasure. 

An European Spaniard, — who had made one of the Texan army in its 
unfortunate expedition against Santa Fe, in the fall of 1842, and had been 
retained a prisoner of war for a number of months subsequent, having ef- 
fected his escape to the Indian country, — on hearing of the recent move- 
ments of the Texans under Col. Warfield, had come and reported himself 
ready again to enlist. 

On the strength of this assurance he was partially admitted to confidence^ 
—a tiling rarely to be reposed in any one of Spanish extraction. The re- 
sult was, that, after gleaning all the information circumstances would ad- 
mit of, he proceeded, post haste to 8ania Fe, and laid the whole aflair before 
Gen. Armijo, the Mexican Governor, in hopes of a handsome reward. 

The old Governor, however, liad received more exact intelligence, with 
the names and number of volunteers composing the party under Col. W., 
(furnished him through the medium of certain Americans, base enough in 
principle and sordid enough in motive, to act as his spies, for a paltry bribe 
in the shape of stipulated remissions of tariff" duties on imported goods, etc.i) 
and treated the traitor to his cause quite cavalierly, — not hesitating to t^ 



KATDRE or THE COUNTRY. 

him he lied, and even accuse him of being a Texan spy — threatening to try 
and execute him as such ! 

Were this ever the reward of treason, how few would be traitors I 



CHAPTER XXX. 



March down the Cimarone. — Jiinctiim of the two divisions. — Country between toa 
de las Aninias and the Cimarone. — Perilous descent. — Canon of the Cimarone. — 
Soil and prevailing rock. — A fort. — Grandeur and sublimity of scenery. — Beauty of 
rocks. — Cimarone of the plain. — Fruits and game. — Wide-spread desolation. — ^A 
dreary country. — Summer on the Desert.- -Remarks. — Encounter with Indians. — 
Nature's nobleman. — Wild hon;es and different modes of catching them. — Failure of 
expected reinforcements. — March into the enemy's country. — Ancient engravmga 
upon a, rock. — Boy in the wolf's den. — A man lo.st.— Forced march. — Torment of 
thirst. — Remarks. — The lost found. — Expulsion for cowardice,— its effect. 

Soon after the incident related at the close of the preceding chapter, an 
express arrived from the Col. commandant, witli dispatclics ordering our 
division to join Iiim at a small creek near tlie Pilot Bultcs, or •' Rabbit 
Ears," two noted landmarks situated some forty miles above the Santa Fe 
trail, and nearly equidistant between the Arkansas and Cimaiono. 

We accordingly took up our line of marcii and, proceeded nearly due 
south for two clays and a half, to the Cimarone ; thence, dcwn the valley of 
the latter, five days' travel to the Santa Fe trail, and thence, west-north- 
west, one day and a half to the place of rendezvous, which we found with- 
out difficulty after a journey of one hundred and seventy miles. 

Between the de las Animas and Cimarone, we crossed a long reach of 
arid prairie, slightly undulating and generally barren, witli the exception 
of small fertile spots among the hills, here and there, clotlied with rank 
grasses. 

-In some parts, the cadi so completely covered the ground that it was 
impossible to step, tor miles in succession, without treading upon tjieir 
sharp thorns ; in otliers, the thick clusters of ahsin/he monopolized the vi- 
cinity of creeks, nearly to the exclusion of all dissimilar vegetation ; and 
yet in others, though of more brief space, naked sterility refused foot t 
aught save gTavel and stifi'clay, or saline efflorescences. 

The water of most of the streams was so highly impregnated with min^ 
ral salts, it was often unfit to drink. The creeks afforded very little timber, 
and frequently none at all. 

The section immediately at the base of the high table lands to the right, 
exposed some beautiful spreads of fertile. prairie, well watered and suitably 
timbered. The soU, as a whole, presented all the prominent characlei> 
•sties of hke portions of country previously described. 

The prevailing rock was limestone and sandstone, with various conglo 
merates, and extensive beds of gypsum. I noticed some very large spect- 



810 VALLEY OF THE CIMARCNE. 

mens of mica, of great beauty and transparency, — one, in particular, WM 

nearly a foot square, and two inches thick. 

The only indication of minerals coming under my notice, was iron and 
salts J though gold has been found in the immediate vicinity of the Hua- 
quetories, and silver in the neighborhood of the de las Animas, — some very 
rich specimens of the latter ore, said to have been procured in this region 
having met my observation. 

Near the Cimarone the country is very rugged and mountainous. Upon 
the right a lofty expanse of table land, some eight hundred or a thousand 
feet high, leads far off till it becomes lost in the distance ; while, upon the 
left, the more elevated tierras templadas of the Colorado, gently curving 
from south to east, mark the division between the Cimarone and the lattei' 
stream. 

Every watercourse is immured by canons of craggy rocks that often 
preclude all access to it for many successive miles. The side-hills and 
prairie ridges, to some extent, are clothed with pines, pinion, and cedars ; 
and the creeks, whenever the narrow space of their prison- walls will per- 
mit it, afford beautiful groves of Cottonwood and thick clusters oi' fruit-bear- 
ing shrubs and underbrush. 

Our course for a number of miles, previous to descending to the valley 
of the Cimarone, lay at the base of the table mountain on the right. 

The entrance to this valley was by a narrow bullaio trail, leading down 
a perpendicular wall of clay and rock, sidelong in a shelf-like path, barely 
wide enough for a single horse or man to advance carefully, as the least 
misstep might plunge him down the abyss to be dashed in pieces upon 
the sharp fragments detached from the overhanging cliffs. 

The wall thus descended was from eight hundred to a thousand feet in 
altitude, and faced by another of equal height at a distance of twenty-five 
or thirty yards. 

The spectacle was grand and awful beyond description. A rock, that 
brokejoose about midway as we descended the pass, fell thundering down 
the frightful steep with a tremendous crash, and made tlie welkin ring 
as it reverberated along the vast enclosure with almost deafening clamor. 
I have witnessed many romantic and picturesque scenes, but never one 
so magnificently grand, so awe-inspiring in its sublimity, as tliat faintly 
delineated in the preceding sketch. 

Entering the canon at this point, after wandering a short distance among 
the huge masses of broken rock thrown from its towering sides, the travel- 
ler is ushered into a valley nearly a mile broad, shut in by mural moun- 
tains that rise to a varied height of from eight to fifteen hundred or two 
thousand feet, gradually expandmg as he proceeds till it attains a width of 
from two to four miles. 

This valley generally possesses a very rich soil, sometimes of a deep, 
gravelly mould, and almost of vermiiion-like color, assimilating the famous 
redlands of Texas, and, in appearance, equally fertile, — then, a dark brown 
loam obtrudes to view, sustaining a dense vegetation of lusty growth, — ' 
and, yet again, a light sandy superstratum, affording but small indications 
of productiveness ; or dimniutive spreads of stiff clay, frowning in their 
9W» Bndity ; or barren wastes, of less extent, that, in deep penitence fur 



GRANDEUR AND LOVELINESS. ^ll 



ti«ir utter worthlessness, exude their briny tears in unremitting succession 
which, as the solar rays strike on them with Itind intent to wipe away 
spread o'er their parent surfaces bleached shrouds of shining salt. 

The latter part of this description, so far as my observation has extended, 
will apply to nearly the entire valley of the Cimarone after it emerges from 
the canon. 

The place at which this romantic valley first attains its full width, is the 
confluence of a small tributary to the main creek, near an isolated sum- 
mit, that protrudes far out from the mountain range and commands the ap- 
proaches from either direction. 

This peak is five or eight hundred feet high, and inaccessible, except 
from the back ground by a gradual acclivity scarcely wide enough for two 
persons to ascend abreast. The top presents a small area of level surface, 
securely defended by an enclosing wall of rock, five or six feet in height, 
raised at its brow evidently by the hand of art. A better position, in a 
military point of view, for a fortification, is rarely found. Fifty men, suit- 
ably provisioned and equipped, might successfully defend it against an army 
of thousands. 

The rocks of tliis vicinity exhibit a more striking variety of color than 
any I ever before witnessed. Their predominant classification enumerates 
granite, sandstone (generally ferruginous,) limestone, and slate. These 
were disclosed in abrupt escarpments of several hundred feet altitude, or 
in isolated, quadrangular masses with vertical sides, assuming the appear- 
ance of gigantic fortifications, temples and palaces ; — or in a more multi- 
form aspect, now portraying vast wails with narrow basements, that, diver- 
ging from the mo'intains, intersect the valley at intervals from side to side, 
except, perchance, at a well-formed gateway, — now, towering monuments, 
spires, and pyramids, and again sculptured statues of men and beasts. 

All these magnificent representations are gorgeously decjved with parti- 
colored strata lying tier above tier, in regular order, some white, others 
black, blue, brown, green, gray, yellow, red, purple, or orange, and so 
strangely intermingled that they cannot fail to excite the admiration of 
every beholder. 

The Cimarone rises in the range of table lands tliirty-five or forty miles 
east -southeast of Taos, and, after following a serpentine course for nearly 
six hundred miles, empties into the Arkansas some distance above Fort 
Gibson. As it emerges from the mountains, (whore it is a stream of con- 
iderable depth and a rapid current, confined to a narrow space between 
high clayey banks, with a bed of rock and pebbles,) it expands to a great 
width, and, in a short distance, its waters become brackish and unfit for 
use, till they finally disappear among the qr.icksands, and leave a dreary 
waste of worse than emptiness, to mark the course of the transient vol- 
umes produced by the melting snows of spring and the annual i-ains of 
autumn. 

During its course through the Great American Desert, not a tree or 
shrub graces its banks. Its mountain valley, however, is ornamented with 
numerous and beautiful groves of cottonwood, that present among their 
underbrush a profuse abundance of plum, cherry, gooseberry, and cur- 
rant bushes, with grape vines ; while the adjoining hills afford oak, pinai 
pinioQ, and cedar. 



812 HOME Of DESOLATIOir. 



Here also game abounds in great quantities, including buflaJo, wila 
horses, deer, antelope, elk, and turkeys. 

We frequently encountered four or five hundred head of wild horses in 
a single band, and turkeys showed themselves in every direction. 

The pleasant moonlight nights, that favored our journey through this 
delightful valley, were the source of great success in turkey-hunting, and 
afforded us no small sport. Nearly every large cottonwood tree was occu- 
pied as a roost, and the season as yet had not far enough advanced to 
hide its tenants amid tlie growing foliage. Each night, as the moon reached 
a suitable position, my practice was to seek out these perching-trees, from 
which I rarely failed to return heavily laden. 

One night myself and companion killed ten of these fowls — some of 
them having an inch thickness of pure fat upon the back. It is unnecesary 
to say that with such abudance, strown so lavishly on every side, tlie fare 
upon our march adown this thrice-enchanting valley was one continued 
scene of sumptuous entertainment. 

But, loveliness gives place to arid sterility, and verdure to dreary desola» 
tion, as the traveller makes his exit from the mountains. 

Almost the entire expanse, from the Arkansas nearly to the Gulf of 
Mexico, an interval ranging south-southeast, from fifty to two hundred miles 
in width, between longitudes lOO'^ and 104^ west from Greenwich, is said to 
be little else than a vast desert of barrenness, destitute of tree or shrub, 
or spire of grass relieve the aching eye, nor favoring stream with kindly 
flow to quench the fevered thirst. 

The whole country is subject to high winds, that sweep over it at brief 
intervals in maddened fury, bearing in their course immense clouds of 
dust, and engendering amid the waste landscape a scene of frequent change. 
To-day the wayfarer may find his progress impeded by no inconsiderable 
hills of loose sand, and to-morrow he may pass in the same direction and 
find a level prairie, — a fact not unaptly expressed in the words of the 
Psalmist, "the mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like 
lambs!" 

Between the Cimarone and the Aikansas, back from the watercourses, 
tlie prospect is but little better. 

In the vicinity of the former are numerous spreads of rolling sand- 
prairie, if not entirely naked, but scantiy clothed with coarse, scattering 
grass, growing upon a surface so loose that a horse or mule will sink to 
his fetlocks at every step in passing over it ; then come broad'reaches of 
slightly undulating plains, mantled with sickly, dwarf vegetation, and sus- 
tained by a thin clayey soil, so baked and indurated by the sun as to be- 
come almost impervious to water. 

The snows of spring and the rains of autunm, as before hinted, aflbrd 
the only moisture ever known to these arid regions. Here dews, ahke 
with transient showers, are entire strangers to the summer months, and 
eave the scorcliing heat of a vertical sun to snatch the fading beauties of 
spring and turn their loveliness into stubble. 

The following lines, written upon tlie spot, as our little party were about 
to withdraw from this dreary solitude, but poorly portray some of tho di»« 
■ud realities then presented : 



fiUMMER ON THK DESEBT. 1^ 



SUMMER ON THE GREAT AMERICAN DBSEET. 

Ye dreary plains, that round me lie, 

So parch'd witli summer's heat, 
No more ye please my wand'ring eye. 
Or woo my weary feet 

Why hath the spring your beauty bonw 

Into his hiding place, 
And left the widow'd winds to monra 

The charms tliey would embrace 7 

Why should those flowers, whose honeyed breith 

With incense filled the breeze, 
Drooping and wither'd, lie in death, 

And now no longer please ? 

That grassy carpet, green and wide, 

Why turn'd to stiibble now ? 
Save 'chance along some streamlet's side, 

Where less'ning waters flow ! 

And why those gently murm'ring rills, 

Whose soft melodious strains 
Were wont to echo 'mong the hills. 

No longer reach the plains ? 

The lark no longer meets the mom,— 

Nor hnnet pours his throat, — 
Nor feather'd warbler hails the dawn 

With his sweet, mellow note ; — 

Nor even insect cheers the scene. 

Where Solitude alone, 
In wither'd garb, as Desert Queen, 

Rears her eternal throne ! 

Thtjse thirsty plains, with open month, 

Implore the gentle shower ; 
But vainly plead, while summer's drouth 

In schorching heat doth pour ! 

Nor grateful shade, of spreading tree. 

Invites my feet to rest ; 
Nor cooling stream, in melody, 

Attempts my quicken'd zest. 

So dismal all ! why should I stay 

And sicken by their view ? 
Thrice gladly will I tuni away. 

And bid these scenes adieu t 

21 



tl4 NATURE'S NOBLEMiJf. 



The only inhabitants of this vast region are strolling bands of bufiai* 
tnd wild horses, with wolves, prairie dogs, and a few scattering antelope 
The only human beings that visit it are Mexicaa traders and occasiona'. 
war-parties of Pawnee, Apache, Kiiyavva, Cumanche, and Arapaho In- 
dians, and they only for the brief interval required in its hurried passage. 

Who, then, so wild as to suppose for a moment that such a country can 
ever become inhabited by civilized man ? — unless the time should literalh 
be ushered in, when, to use the language of Scripture, " the desert shafi 
bud and blossom as the rose !" 

Late in the afternoon, towards the close of our journey, a little below the 
point at which the Santa Fe trail crosses the Cimarone, we came upon two 
norses that appeared to have recently strayed from some travelling party. 
According to the custom of the country anything encountered in this 
manner is good and^.lavv'ful prize to the finder, and we forthwith set 
lUwut taking possession. 

One of them, however, a two-year-old colt, proved so unmanageable 
we were obliged to kill it in order to secure the other. Being rather 
scantily supplied with provisions, the fresh-slaughtered animal (fine and 
fat as it was) presented an opportunity too tem.pting not to be improv- 
ed »n replenishing our stock, which induced us to encamp for that 
piupose. 

Soon after a large party of horsemen made their appearance from 
over the neighboring hills, and, having devoted a few minutes to recon- 
noitering, advanced upon us at full charge. In an instant our little 
force was drawn up in readiness to repel the expected attack. But, 
instead of enemies, the Dbjects of our apprehension proved a squad of 
Arapahos, and they were accordingly allowed to come into camp. 

-One of our visitors happened to be tlie owner of the two horses we 
had found, which, as he stated, (having described them minutely,) had 
■trayed from his village, some six miles distant ; he then enquired of us if 
we had seen them. Here was a dilemma ; should we deny the fact, an^ 
run the risk of being caught in a falsehood ? or should we confess and 
abide the consequences ? Our commandant decided upon the latter course; 
but, in 80 doing, liad resort to an artful duplicity to bear upon the finer 
feebngs of the Indian, and replied : 

" My warriors had suffered long for lack of food. Three suns had sunk 
behind the mountain, and not one morsel bad entered their mouths to give 
them strength for travel. In their distress they enquired of the Great 
Spirit, and He showed them the lost animals of my brother. 

"My warriors were not slow to receive the welcome gift. The flesh of 
the younger one hatli caused us to bless the Good Spirit ; the other is with 
our own medicine nlogs, that my brother may search for it no longer." 

The owner; on hearing this, looked very sorrwful. Tiie colt had been 
a favorite of his squaw and children. In a moment, however, he arost, 
end, extendmg his hand to the commandant, exclaimed : 

" My heart is good. My white brother did well to receive the gift of th« 
Good Spirit, that his warriors might eat." 

Commandant. But tlie young medicine-dog of my brother was the b^^ 



JDlfCnON FORMED, *15 

loved of his wife and little ones. What will he that I give him so thej 
sorrow not? 

Indian. Now, ray heart blesses the pale face. If he would bestow his 
gifts, what better couU I receive at his hand than a small present of tobao- 
co, that my pipe may be liiied to the undying friendship of him and his 
people. 

A few pieces of tobacco were accordingly given, and the good-hearted 
Indian, after shaking hands with eacli one of our party, took lua hcrse and 
ieparted to his village. 

Where, let me ask, do we find, in civilized countries an instance of nobk 
generosity equal to that of the poor savage ? 

The Arapaho village, as we learned from our visitors, had been camped 
m the vicinity several days, for the twofold purpose of awaiting the Cuman- 
ches and catching wild horse?. This, by the way, reminds me of not hav- 
mg as yet described the manner of performing, the latter feat. 

In taking wild horses, two methods are resorted to, alike displaying con- 
siderable tact and ingenuity. (.)(' these the following is the most common : 

A large party of Indians, mounted on tiieir fleetest chargers, having dis- 
covered a band of tiiese animals, carefully approach from the leev/ard, scat- 
tering themselves to a distance of eight or ten miles along the course their 
intended captives are expected to run. This done, the chase is started at 
a given signal, by the nearest Indian, w'ho is relieved by the next in suc- 
cession, and he by the next, and so on (taking their cue from the strategy 
of wolves in their capture of the antelope) until these proud rangers of the 
prairie, exhausted by their long-continued and vain efforts to escape, cease 
to assert their native liberty, and fall easy prey to the lasso of their 
pursuers. 

Anotlier plan frequently adopted is, to erect a stout fence from side to 
side, between two impassable walls of rock. The unsuspicious band aie 
then so started as necessarily to be driven witJiin the enclosure, when tlieii 
ready pursuers, closing in upon the rear, take them without the trouble of 
a long chase. 

Great numbers of wild horses are annually captured by these means, 
which become domesticated in a very short time. But, as a general thing, 
they are less adapted to hard service than those reared in the ordinary 
-way, and are far more disposed to re-assert their birthright of freedom 
at the first opportunity that occurs. 

Our visitors communicated the important intelligence that a detachment 
of four hundred Mexicans had passed their village only two days previous, 
on its way to Arkansas ; which statement was further corroborated by cer- 
tain indications noticed in the trail. The enemy was evidently in pursuit 
of us, and, weak as vve were numerically, none expressed any other feeling 
than tliat of a willingness to meet him. 

From this camp, our course bore west-northwest for thirty or forty miles, 
during which distance we found no water, and suflered greatly from tie 
agonizing effects of thirst. One of our pack-horses, also, took the " stam- 
fjetfe," and ran off* with his entire load, consisting principally of ammun^' 
tion, and all our efforts to retake him proved abortive. 

About noon the succeeding day, we reached our destination* wktie a 



816 lirrEI^SR THIRST. 

jnnetion wm formed, not. \vitii the army we had hoped to find, but with th« 
mere handfuJ who had parted from us a few weeks smce at the Arkansas. 

Discouragement and discontent were depicted upon the countenance of 
every one, as the lateness of the season admonished us of the extreme un- 
certainty of the arrival of expected reinforcements. The dreaded approach 
cf the uuraanches, tliose unsparing enemies of the Texans, of whom we 
had received reliable intelligence, far more tlian the proximity of four 
hundred Mexican troops, gave us just cause for apprehension. A council 
was held forthwith, to decide upon the course proper to be pursued. Pru- 
dence seemed to dictate an abandonment of our present position, — while 
the enemy were looking for us in anotlier quarter, we might steal a maich 
upon him in his own country. 

These suggestions gave tone to subsequent movements, and early in the 
morning of the day following we were under way. For ten or fifteen miles, 
our course continued up the dry sand-creek that had marked our place of 
rendezvous, and the night following was passed with a few lodges of Ara- 
pahoe, who were encamped at a small pool of water near a bluff bank of 
■andstone. 

This rock exhibited many rude engravings upon its smooth side, repre- 
senting men, women, and cliildren, dogs, snakes, and hzards, with various 
i^er devices, — evidently the work of ancient artists in commemoration 
sf some remarkable «xicurrence connected with tlie former history of the 
fmimtry. 

I examined tiie sketch with deep interest, and felt as if glanchig at the 
(.kecure records of the greatness ^md glory of some extinct nation, writ- 
iiJa in a language, like itself, now no longer known. 

Our hunters, having accompanied the Indians to the cliase, soon after 
I... turned with a choice supply of fresli meat, and four woif pups. Tlie 
AJiUter had been taken by an Indian boy, tln-ee or four years old, who 
fsarlessly entered the den, during tiie absence of tlie dam, and bore away 
kiiir defenceless family in triumph. 

The next day saw us again en route. One of our men, having obtained 
£jrinission of tlie commanding officer, proceeded a short distance in ad- 
vuacc of tiic main party for the purpose of hunting. Not paying strict 
attention to the course proposed, he mistook liis way, and, despite our con- 
tinued efforts to sot him aright, could no longer be seen or heard of, and 
we were at lengtli reluctantly forced to give liim up. 

Continuing up the creek some two days, we found it ver}^ difficult to 
procure water, and were often compelled to dig for it in the sand to a depth 
of tliree or four feet. 

Fn)m this point, we bore south-southwest, and after more than a day and 
night's hard travelling, over an arid sand-prairie, favored by neither tree, 
iihrub, nor watercourse, we arrived at the head of a small affluent of the 
Cimarone, inducting us to tiie bewitcliing scenery of tiie thrice lovely val- 
ley that lay hmnured withui ita giant wafis. 

The fatigue of a forced march, combined witli the sweltering heat of ao 
aimom lornd ami by day and scorching winds by nighty in additioiB to th« 



PISCIUBGED FOR COWARDICE. 317 

indescribable torments of burning thirst for nearly thirty hours, had rsn* 
dered us almost frantic with agony. 

What tongue can tell the sweetness of the draught that first greeted oui 
parched Ups, at the termination of this painful interval ? What mind can 
conceive the inestimable value of water, until destitution unfolds its re£d 
merits ? 

Hunger, one may forget in the sweet unconsciousness of sleep, or glut 
his appetite, meanwhile, upon the tasteless feasts of fancy, — but thirst, with- 
ering thirst, can never be forgotten while it continues,— -it will burn a.9 il 
to scorch the vitals and dry up the heart's blood ! 

Before leaving the sand-creek above alluded to, we passed several dimi 
nutive bottoms and vallons that assumed an air of fertility. In these, I 
noticed an abundance of the bread-root, and in the creek banks, two or 
three places gave indication of coal. The prevailing rock was sandstone 
and limestone. The country adjacent, with the exception of its being more 
tumulous, is much like the llanos peculiar to this region. 

On striking the Cimarone we contiued our march up its valley for som© 
three days, and camped for a sliort time, to make a c^che of our surplus 
baggage for the purpose of travelling with greater expedition. 

The day preceding, however, aflbrded two incidents worthy of noteu 
One was the re-appearance of our lost man, who, having found his way it) 
tills point, and knowing we must necessarily make it in our line of march, 
had been avv^aiting us For the past two days. He was hailed as one risen 
from the dead, and welcomed back to our midst. 

But the expulsion of three for cowardice almost immediately followed 
the re-accession of one. Considerable dissatisfaction had existed for some 
time, in reference to our plan of operations. Several of the company had 
openly talked of desertion, and were using their earnest endeavors to per- 
suade others to this course. As we approached the enemy's country, the 
spirit of insubordination showed itself with increased violence. The time 
and place, even, were pitched upon for raising the standard of rebellion 
against all orders and those who gave them. Affairs at length reached a 
crisis that loudly demanded a resort to some prompt measures to restore 
them to tlieir proper equilibrium — an example must be had. 

Accordingly the company was drawn up in line, when the articles sub- 
scribed to by each of its members were read. This done, the commanding 
officer addressed the malecontents in a few brief words, demanding which 
of those articles he had violated, — if neither, they were equally binding as 
at first ; — then, alluding to the rumors that had reached his ears from various 
sources, he stated his readiness to release any one requesting it from further 
obhgation, — but the discharge sliould be a dishonorable one, — a discharge 
for cowardice! 

" Yes," said he, " cowardice ! We are on the eve of entering the ene- 
my's country, and the hearts of some doubtless begin to fail them. Texas 
wants no cowards to fight her battles ! None but brave men and true, are 
worthy of that honor ! Now, I repeat it, if any timorous spirit, — anv pusil- 
lanimous heart, — any despicable poltroon, wislies his discharge, 1 stand 
ready to give it ; let him step one pace in advance from the ranks and as 
27* 



518 THE PURSUIT. 



knowledge himself a coward ! His name shall be erased from the mniter* 
rolL" 

At this amiouncement, three men stepped forward, and their names were 
severally repeated, as they received their discharge, accompanied by tbt 
cutting words, — " reason — cowardice /" 

After this the commanding officer again addressed them : " You are now 
dishonorably discharged, and, as sentenced, before high heaven, I pronomice 
you cowards. If either of you considers this sentence unjust, let him shoul- 
der his rifle and choose his own distance. I, stand ready to give him any 
satisfaction he may demand in reparation of his wounded honor. But, you 
shall pocket the disgrace. To-night you may stay with us» — to-morrow 
you must and shall leave. 

" And you, my brave comrades, who have clrosen to abide by that flag 
which has graced the triumphs of by-gone days, may you never desert it 
in the hour of danger. Look up vv-ith hope, and as you gaze upon its 
bright star of lonely grandeur, consider it the harbinger cf success, — th« 
genius of victory." 

The next morning, the three faint-hearted volunteers accordingly left 
camp, reducing cur little number to twenty-one; — a lean force, ti-uly, for 
an expedition so hazardous. Yet none flinclied at the thiclt array of antici- 
pated dangers. A\\ v/ere ready and anxious for the encounter. 

The above summary proceeding completely effected its designed object, 
at least for the present, and reduced the turbulent spirits to the wholesome 
restraints of discipline. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 



JMoxican camp. — Pursuit. — Advance upon Mora. — Enemy discovered. — Country be 
tween the Rio de las Animas and Mora ; its picturesque beauty. — Admirable point 
of observation. — Fortified po.sition. — Battle of the pass; order of attack, passage of 
the river, storming the enemy's camp, a.nd number of killed, wounded and prison 
ws. — Council of war.— Prisoners released. — Message to Amijo. — Return march.— 
Mexican army. — Attacked, and results of action. — Mexican bravery. — Retreat. — 
Cross tlie Table Mountain. — New sjieoies of wild onions. — March down the de las 
Animas. — Discouragements accumulate. — Disband. — Sketch of factions. — Texan 
prisoners, — Arrival of reinforcements. — Battle of the Arroyo : killed, wounded, and 
prisoners. — Retreat of Amijo. — " Stampede."— Frightful encounter with the Cu- 
manches and Kuyawas. — Discharge of troops. — Affair with Capt. Cook. — SuireO' 
der to U. S. Dragoons, and failure of expedition. — Return to Texas. — Journey it 
tlM Platte. — Country between the Arkansas and Beaver creek. — Feasting at camp»— 
Crows' eggs. — Lateness of season. — Snow-storm in June. — An Ind'an fort.— Serio- 
•Dinico adventure with a wolf. — hidians.— Song of the night-bird. 

FaoM C&che Camp we resumed our march, and, on the fourth day sub- 
■equent, struck the Taos trail at the crossing of the de las Animas >— 
Aence, continuing up tlie river about forty miles, we came to a place r»» 
•mtly occupied by a detachment of Mexicans. After a careful 



FORTIFIEB POSITION. *10 



don, we became satisfied that it had been some sixty cavalry, who wej 
then doubtless awaiting our advance at no great distance ; and, from a} 
pearances, not more ^an three days had elapsed since its evacuatioi 
Feeling ill-disposed to try the patience of our enemy by keeping him in to 
long a suspense, we immediately started in pursuit. 

The route led by a rough pass over a spur of the Toas Mountain! 
which heads the iierras templadas southwest of the Ciniarone, into a prairLa 
rangiog from east to west, forty-five or fifty mites long and thirty or mora 
broad, and skirting the three principal streams that unite to form the Colo 
rado. From this point it continued over another spur of the mountain 
chain into a valley some ten miles broad, ranging from north to south 
and intersected by the trail from Taos to the Santa Fe road, striking the 
latter near the Waggon Mound,* — thence, for about twenty-five miles, 
across a spread of high prairie, (quite rough and undulating, with frequent 
hills assuming a mountainous character,) to a considerable creek, four or 
five miles southeast of the town of Mora. 

At this point our scouts reported the enemy as occupying a fortified 
camp, which commanded the only feasible jass leading to tlie adjoining 
settlements. Upon the reception of this ijiteliigerice we withdrew to a de- 
serted ranche and encamped for the night, in order to obtain, if possible, 
more certain information relative to his position and force. 

The country between the de las Animas and this place, as a general thing, 
gave indications of a good soil, but v.^as quite arid, pariicularly the prairie 
skirting the head branches of the Colorado. The hills and mountaini 
were less sterile than tho^e farther east. They also aiforded an abundance 
of timber, consisting of pine, oak, cedar, and pinion. The creek bottoms 
embraced considerable quantities of excellent land, though but sparsely 
timbered. 

The mountains to the right towered majestically to an altitude of ten 
or twelve thousand feet, opposing their snowy crests in stern defiance to 
the heat of a summer's sun. 

Toward the close of our march, the landscape disclosed a scene of ro 
mantic beauty and grandeur. Mingled among the pleasing diversity of 
mountain, hill, dale, and lawn, vegas and llanos^ forests and prairies, hert 
and there a small lake mirrored forth its bright waters, swarming with innu- 
merable water- fowl, decorated by broad fiov.ery banks, and shut in by rug- 
ged highlands and rocky clifis, that seemed like some fairy's home, where 
enchantment held Nature's self in spell-bound admiration. Trie creeks and 
valleys of this section were also enclosed by abrupt banks, that sometimai 
protruded their precipitous walls to the very water's edge, and then again 
expanded to give place to the grass, fruits, and flowers of mimic Edens. 

The prevailing rock appeared to be gray granite, ferruginous sandstone, 
and limestone. Game was ratlier scarce, and consisted principally of buf- 
Jalo, deer, and bear. 

As a whole, this entire region may be considered as admirably adapted 

* This mound is a singular natural elevation in the form of a covered wanon, 
■Murthe road from the United States to Santa Fe,— about fifty miles south ofl^^ 



820 BATTLE OF THE PASS. 

to grazing purposes, and, were it not for its ariditj^ might be cultivated tr 
a considerable extent. 

The men sent to reconnoitre returned about midnight, but had succeeded 
in obtaining no satisfactory information of the enemy's position, owing to 
the darkness and their ignorance of the topography of the country. How- 
ever, they reported having discovered a point overlooking his camp, from 
which our whole force might watch his movements, screened from his ob- 
servation by a dense thicket of pines, and recommended it for our occupancy 
the ensuing day. Accordingly, in the morning orders were given to thai 
effect ; and, after a march of four or five miles, covered by an unbroken 
forest of pine and cedar, we arrived at the place designated, and encamped 
almost within speaking distance of the enemy. 

No point could be more admirably situated for our purpose. The gradua. 
acclivity by which we had advanced, studded with pine, hemlock, and pin- 
ion, led to the summit of a high ridge, bounding a broad valley upon its 
opposite side with vast piles of perpendicular rock, several hundred feet in 
altitude. Tiirough this valley a large creek traced its way, graced by oc- 
casional groves of cottonwood and willow. In one of these, appeared the 
Mexican encampment. 

So matchless was our position, by aid of a spy-glass we could observe 
his every movement without incurring the risk of being ourselves discov- 
ered. 

^ A mere glance revealed the true state of affairs. The hostile force, con- 
sisting of some sixty strong, completely commanded the only entrance into 
the valley from the east, and was otherwise so advantageously posted as to 
render an immediate attack extremely hazardous. We accordingly awaited 
the cover ot night for further operations, and contented ourselves meanwhile 
with watching the unsuspecting foe. 

Our plan was to storm the Mexican camp and force a passage into the 
adjoining town, where we expected to encounter another detachment, and, 
after defeating it, make good our retreat before a sufficient reinforcement 
could be rallied to oppose us. 

Soon after sundown, arrangements being completed, we commenced our 
march. A detour c^ four or five miles led us to the head of a narrow and 
circuitous defile, marking the entrance to the valley ; winding our way 
through which silently, in a few moments we were in the immediate vicinity 
of the enemy. 

Here dismounting, the company was drawn into line, and the plan of 
attack communicated to each, as follows : three men, mounted upon fleet 
horses, were to dispose of themselves, if possible, in such a manner as to 
prevent an escape, while the remainder, in two divisions, (the one headed 
by the Col. commandant and the other by the first heutenant,) commenced 
a sumultaneous attack at different points. Orders were given to scale the 
enemy's breastwork, seize his arms, and demand his surrender, — but not 
to fire a shot, unless in case of resistance or an attempt to escape ; and, 
even then, to avoid all unnecessary effusion of blood. 

Thus disposed , we advanced to tlie charge ; — but a new difliculty here 
arose. The creek which, from our high point of observation during the 
day , had appeared only a diminutive stream, now presented its l^oad bu*. 



ATPAIR OF THB GAF. 921 

fince, with a current of swift and deep water, while a steep bank upon the 
other side showed ^the enemy at its very verge. Nothing daunted we 
plunged in, and, alnfe)st as soon, gained the opposite shore. Ascending the 
bonk we attracted the notice of the sentinels, and received tlie challenge: 
" Quienes veniren ?" — who comes ? 
* Que dijo ?" — what do you say ? 
" Quienes veniren, carraho ?" 

At this a rush was made upon the challengers, who were almost instantly 
disarmed, and our whole party, leaping into camp, gave to the enemy the 
first intimation of its presence. 

" Munchos Tajanos ! " — exclaimed one, as the astonished Mexicanf 
snatched their arms. 

"Si, munchos Tajanos.— Quieron los scoupetas !" — ^was the reply, as 
we sprang to prevent them. 

Here a smart struggle ensued, which resulted in the defeat of the enemy 
with a loss of five killed, four wounded, and eighteen prisoners, — the re- 
mainder having escaped despite our efTorts to prevent it, — but aU the camp 
equipage fell into our hands, with seventy-two head of horses and mulea. 
Among the arms taken were two or three pieces that had belonged to the 
Texan Santa Fe expedition of the fall of '41. 

A council was now held to decide upon the expediency of proceeding 
immediately to the neighboring town. A majority at first were tavorabie 
to the proposition ;— but some objected, and urged the imprudence of weak- 
ening our force by a division, as we should either be necessitated to do, in 
that event, or relinquish the advantages already gained, — ^and, further, the 
enemy, being aware of our approach, was doubtless prepared to oppose a 
dangerous resistance, such as would be attended with great risk of life on 
our part, without securing any possible benefit in its result. The latter 
reasons influenced the decision, and orders were accordingly given to with- 
draw from the scene of action. 

In the interim the wounded had been carefully attended to, and, as we 
were about to leave, the prisoners were all set at liberty, with these words : 
" You are now free. Bury your dead, and remember in future how vain 
it is to resist the arms of Texas. Tell Amijo, your General, the Texans 
are men. and not wild beasts. They never kill an unresisting enemy, — 
they never kill a prisoner of war. He has done both, — but let him beware 
how he does it again, for the lives of ten Mexicans shall be the forfeit fw 
each ofl^ence." 

All things being arranged for a retrograde movement, we were promptly 
under way upon our return march to the Cimarone. The route led wi&iin 
ten or twelve miles of the Waggon Mound, at which pomt a largo 
number of dark-looking objects appeared, but so indistinctly we were una 
ble to determine their nature ; — these, as we subsequently learned, were a 
body of Mexican troops, numbering seven hundred and fifty men. 

Continuing our course, about noon we made camp at a gap in the moun- 
tain ridge, lacing from the west the head branches of the Colorado. 

The sectinels were cautiously posted, two upon the summit in the rear, 
and two witli the horses in front, and express orders given to them not to 
leave their stations until reheved, and to give immediate notice of the ap- . 
pearancr itf any suspicioiui object The remainder of the party were kmb 



A RETREAT. 



buiily occupied, some, in preparations for dinner, and others in making 
amends for a niglit of wakefulness. ^j^ 

In fatit, each cne conducted himself apparently witn as little concern as 
though it were inipossible that a Mexican could be found this side of the 
halls of Montezuma. Participating in this general feeling of security, 
and anxious to enjoy the relaxations of camp, in a brief intervel the sen- 
tinels deserted their posts and mingled among the loungers. 

This remissness was first noticed by a private; who hurriedly enquired. 
" Where is the guard ?" Scarcely were the words spoken, when another 
exclaimed, " There go our horses 1" 

The latter announcement aroused all hands — but only in time to witness 
our whole cavallard under full headway before a small party of Mexican 
cavalry, while at the same instant a brisk fire was opened upon. ns4rom the 
rear, and the dusky forms of the enemy appeared both right and left ; thus 
we had the mortification to find our little band surrounded by a superior 
force. 

Orders were given to dislodge the foe, and occupy his position in the 
rear. At the v/ord " c/targe," our dauntless partizans, with a shout, rushed 
up the steep hill-side and drove the panic-stricken Mexicans before them, 
who fled with the utmost precipitancy in all directions, throwing away their 
blankets, robes, arms, and even clothes, to aid them in their hurried escape. 
So great was their consternation, in less than fifteen minutes not one re- 
mained in sight, either far or near. 

On examining the premises, v/e found fifteen or twenty saddles, with 
a mule, which they had likewise abandoned, — but only two half-jaded 
animals told the remnants of tjie noble cavallard of more than eighty head 
that had grazed around us scarcely thirty min\ites before ; a thing of itself 
equivalent of a defeat. 

What could twenty-one. footmen do in an open prairie opposed by hun- 
dreds of cavalry, able at any time to choose their own place and mode of 
attack? The issue was quite apparent, — we must retreat. In an advan- 
tageous position, surrounded by game, and acquainted with the topography 
of the country, we might hold out against a force of thousands ; but it 
would be presumption to think of either maintaining our present ground 
or advanchig upon the foe. 

Preparations were therefore immediately commenced for acting upon 
the only prudent alternanve now left. Each man selected for himself a 
blanket, or robe, which, with such other necessaries as he could conveniently 
carry, was bound in the form of a knapsack and strapped to his shoulders; 
our animals were then heavily laden with provisions, and the remaining 
luggage (consisting of arms tak§n from the enemy, saddles, robes, blan- 
kets, knives, &c.,) committed to the flames ; the value of property thus 
destroyed, amounted to several thousand dollars. It was a melancholy 
thing to witness this wanton waste; yet such is the custom of war under 
like circumstances. 

Toward sundown we took up our line of march, each one on foot with 
his shouldered pack, in every appearance illustrating the soldier's return 
"from the war !" 

In the above manner we trudged along, bearing a course due east, till the 
•Tening of the third day, which, brought us to the base of the table moun* 



COMPANY DISBAIfDED. 826 

tain at the head of the Cimarone,— having discovered the enemy's Bcouts 
hovering in the distance on two or three occasions during the interval. 
The day following we crossed the mountain, upon whose summit was a 
beautiful plateau, some ten miles in width and of unknown length. 

The soil gave every evidence of fertility, and was well watered. I 
noticed a number of strawberry vines — the first I had seen in the country, 
as well as a profuse array of floral loveliness. A considerable lake also 
appeared, whose banks were of perpendicular rock measuring a descent 
of fifteen or twenty feet ; while on its shady side a pile of snow bade de- 
fiance to the heat of summer, and looked pleasingly strange amid the sur- 
rounding verdure. 

After a lengthy search, we finally found a place of descent upon the 
opposite side of the mountain, which led us into the valley of the extreme 
left hand fork of the Rio de las Animas. 

The bottom of this stream, as it emerged from the mountains, disclosed 
a soil of extraordinary fertility. Among its indigenous productions I 
noticed a spread of fifty acres or more, so densely covered with onions that 
hundreds of bushels might be gathered in a short time. This plant was 
of a different kind from any I ever before saw. Its color was white, size 
about equal to a pigeon's egg, and appearance much like that of the com- 
mon onion ; but it had flag-shaped stalks, and was much less offensive in 
taste and smell than is natural to this species of roots. 

Continuing down the valley of this creek, we struck the de las Animas 
on the third day subsequent, and on the seventh, arrived at the egress of 
that stream from its frightful canon, nearly opposite Bent's Fort on the 
Arkansas. From this place an express was sent to the latter point to ob- 
tain, if possible, some information relative to the expected reinforcement 
from Texas, and, also, in regard to the movements of the enemy. 

The next day, however, the messenger returned with a report so far 
from encouraging, that it served still more to depress our fast-sinking hopes. 
A general des})ondency seemed to weigh fike an incubus upon the minds 
of both officers and men. Our inability to hold out under existing circum- 
stances was too apparent, as the sphere of operations embraced a circuit 
of five hundred miles or more, over deserts and mountains, that would 
waste us away with fatigue, watchings, hunger and thirst, by long and 
dreary marches to be performed on foot, through a country swarming with 
savage and half-civilized foes. A council was accordingly held, which re- 
sulted in the almost unanimous decision to disband. 

Discharges previously made out, bearing date May 24th, were now pre- 
sented to each one, absolving him from all further connection with the 
Texan army, and, on the morning of the 29th inst., our little band separa^ 
ted in tliree parties ; one of these, consisting of four men, left for the can- 
on of the Cimarone ; another, headed by Col. Warfield, started for Texas ; 
anu the remainder commenced their return journey toward the Platte 
river. 

The story of the former of these fractions, so far as relates to the diffi- 
culties between Mexico and Texas, is briefly told. Our adventurers bear- 
ing for the Ciraarono reached their hoped-for Elysium; but, soon aftei, 
iMviag ikUea into an ambuscade of one hundred ass4 thirty Mttxisaii troofii 
28 



9» HAKD nGBTINQ JJXD RETERSEi. 

were taken prisoners, and, in a few days subsequent, found themselvei is 
irons and snugly stowed away in the calaboose at Santa Fe ; while there, 
one of them died from bad treatment, and the others would have been shot 
had not the dread of Texan vengeance prevented the deed. Succeeding 
tvents, however, effected their liberation. 

The party accompanying Col. W. fell in with the expected reinforcements 
from Texas, near the Crossing of the Arkansas, and again submitted itself 
Id the fortune of war. This force consisted of one hundred and eighty vol- 
■nteers, under the command of Col. Snively, an old veteran of the Texai 
revolution. 

Soon after, a detachment of forty Texans, beaded by Col. Warfield, en- 
countered the advance guard of the enemy, numbering one hundred picked 
men. The approach of the latter had been observed irom an eminence, 
when the Texans were drawn up under cover of a small sand-bank, near a 
creek, (arroyo,) awaiting to intercept him. Ignorant of tlie presence of 
danger, the Mexicans were pressing on at a rapid rate, till brought to a 
sudden halt by an opposing force within half rifle-shot. 

"Quienes ?" demanded the Texan officer. 

" Mexicanas. Quienes sons uste ?" replied the commandante. 

" Tajanos," returned the Texan, through .his interjjreter. "We have 
come to fight, and shall tight unless you surrender. But, that you may 
know with whom you have to deal, we give you thirty minutes to decide 
whether to fight or surrender. If you choose the former, a signal from 
your sword will announce the answer." 

A brief discussion ensued among them upon this summons. The Mexi- 
cans were disposed to surrender, but the Pueblo Indians, of whom fifty 
or more were included in the party, scornfully refused to accede to any 
■uch proposition, declaring tliat they had come to fight, and not to surrender 
like women upon the first appearance of an inferior enemy. At lengtli, 
a chief ended tlie dispute by advancing to the front fine and giving the pre- 
scribed signal. 

The onset of the Texans was terrific beyond description. The enemy's 
line was instantly broken, and the cry of" misericordia T' (mercy) sounded 
upon all sides. The contiict lasted scarcely five minutes; but, though 
short, it was decisive and bloody. 

Twenty-two of the enemy were killed, thirty wounded, and the remain- 
der taken prisoners, with the exception of one who succeeded in aflfect- 
JBg hie escape. Not a Texan was hurt. 

General Amijo, who at this tin.'e lay encamped at the Cimarone, forty 
or fifty miles distant, with an army of seven hundred JMexicans, on 
receiving intelligence of the defeat of the flower of his invincibletf 
like other examples equally illustrious, felt his courage "ooze out ^t 
his fingers' ends," and, not being disposed to encounter such dangerous 
enemies, ordered an imiueJiate retreat and fell back on Santa Fe. 

Col. Snively was on the point of marching in pursuit, when an incident 
occurred which altered the whole aspect of affairs, and finally frustrated 
all the purposes of the expedition. This was efiectcd by a war-party of 
eighty Kuyawa and Cumanche Indians, who succeeded in stampeding » 
krge band of the army horses. 



ARMY SURRENDERED TO U. S. DRAGOONS. 527 

They were followed by eleven men under the command of Col. War 
field, and, after a running fight of two or three miles, an action was 
brought about. As they halted, Col. W. ordered his men to dismount 
and form a breastwork with their horses, which was promptly done ; — 
meanwhile the Indians, numbering sixty or more, had closed around, 
with whoops and yells, and other demonstrations of their expected 
triumph. 

A discharge from the Texans brought four of their warriors to the 
ground, and wounded six more. This broadside was returned through a 
shower of arrows, and repeated by the intrepid eleven in a pistol-round, 
when three more of the assailants fell, and twice that number felt the 
eflects of an unerring aim. Hereupon the Indians hastily retreated with 
their wounded, leaving seven of their number to grace the scene of ac- 
tion. Not one of the Texans was injured, and only one of their horses 
killed and three wounded. Further pursuit, however, Vv^as abandoned, 
and the captive horses were left to honor the service of their new masters. 

A loss so inopportune caused the postponement of furtiier operation! 
for the present, and, in connection with other difficulties, created so much 
discontent in the minds of some, that one entire company declared its in- 
tention of returning to Texas, and requested its immediate discharge. An 
emergency of this kind, not having been provided for in the terms of en- 
listment, left the commanding officer no other alternative than to accede 
to a measure he had no power to prevent, and the demands of the disaf- 
fected were accordingly complied with. 

The army was thus reduced to eighty effective men, which made it 
necessary to release the prisoners as yet retained in custody. These 
during their detention had been treated with great kindness, and their 
wounded carefully attended to by the company's surgeon ; on their re- 
lease twelve horses were allowed for their conveyance, while the other 
prisoners were furnished with four rifles and a quantity of ammunition, two 
running horses, and enough provisions to serve for several days. Thus 
provided, they were set at liberty with the pithy message : "Bid your 
countrymen learn, from this example, how to treat prisoners of war !" 

Soon after.the events above related, the arniy took up a position on the 
Arkansas river, a few miles below the Santa Fe road, for the purpose of 
procuring a supply of provisions from the vast quantities of buffalo afford- 
ed by that vicinity. While encamped here, hunting parties were al- 
lowed to cross into the United States territory in quest of game, — not in 
a national capacity, but as mere private individuals. 

On one of these occasions the hunters were discovered and pursued by 
two companies of United States Dragoons, under Capt. Cook, on their 
way to escort the Santa Fe traders as far as the Crossing of the Arkansas. 

The chase was couLinued to the liver bank opposite the Texan camp, 
when a conference was requested, and the commanding officers of both 
armies met, as was supposed, for an interchange of mutual civilities ; but 
Buch proved not to be tiie case. 

Captain Cook, on the part of the Americans, contended that the 
Texans had invaded the United States territory, and that they even now 
tcenpied a position within its limits ; — his duty was plain. He must ie- 



828 COUNTRY FROM THE ARKANSAS TO BEAVER. 

maud, and, if necessary, enforce their immediate surrender. Thirty mi- 
nutes only would be allowed for a decision. 

Cols. Snively and Warfield urged many arguments to prove the injustice 
•f his demand and the fallacy of the premises upon which it was based, but 
all to no purpose. The Captain was inflexible. 

Meanwhile, the American troops had crossed the river, and were drawn 
up in front of the Texans ready for action. It was vain for a force- of 
eighty men to attempt holding out against one hundred and sixty United 
States Dragoons, backed by two field-pieces. Retreat, too, was impracti- 
cable, and they accordingly surrendered their arms, upon Texan territory 
in compliance with the unjust demands of the American commander. 

Forty of the prisoners were escorted to Fort Leavenworth, and the re- 
mainder set at liberty, and left with only twehe rifles to fight their way back 
to Tex;:s, througji the heart of tho Cumanche country. They had, how- 
ever, previously managed to secrete a quantity of arms and ammunition, 
and, in a few minutes subsequent to their release, were fully equipped and 
ready to meet a Mexican force of eight times their number. 

Col. Wai-field was elected commander of the newly organized company, 
who immediately set out in quest of the enemy. 

But here a new obstacle presented itself; — the whole country was swarm- 
ing with Cumanche and Kuyawa Indians ; so much so that a further pro- 
secution of the campaign must inevitably prove most disastrous. This 
circumstance led to the abandonment of the purposes of the expedition, and 
the scanty remnants of the army engaged in it took up their line of march 
for Texas, where they arrived during the month of July following, wasted 
by toil and suffering, as well as by repeated conflicts with a relentless 
savage foe. 

Thus ended the second attempt to subjugate the province of Santa Fe to 
the government of the new-born Republic of Texas. 

A few days preceding this grand finale^ a small party, including myself, 
commenced its journey to the mountains adjoining the head waters of the 
Platte river. We were all on foot, and suffered greatly Irom fatigue and 
thirst during our dreary march over the plains of burning sand and withered 
stubble that impeded our progress for some distance. 

Crossing the Arkansas at a point several miles below Bent's Fort, we 
proceeded up one of the numerous dry creeks finding their discharge into 
that stream from the north, and, on the fifth day subsequent, arrived at a 
grove of Cottonwood, upon a watercourse near the eastern extremity of 
Sie ** Divide," and in the immediate vicinity of several tributaries of both 
the Platte and Kansas rivers. Here the abundance of buffalo induced four 
of UB to remain for a short time, while the others continued their course. 

The intermediate country from the Arkansas to this place, presents an 
uninviting aspect, and, tliough not naturally sterile, is rendered repulsive 
from its extreme aridity. The creeks are most of them mere beds of sand, 
entirely destitute of water, except at brief intervals when their percolated 
currents are shown in brackish pools, soon again to inhume themselves in 
the willing earth. 

Th«re is rarely a tree in the whole distance, which circumstance add* 



COMICAL ABTEirnmi. §29 

■nch to the cheerlessness of its solitude. A general scarcity of rock also 
prevails, and the only specimens I noticed were exhibited in the banks of 
watercourses, and consisted of slate and fossiliferous hmestone (formed of 
an extinct species of sliell-fish, principally bivalves.) The soil in many 

E laces might be called fertile, and, were it not for lack of moisture, could 
e turned to good account for agricultural purposes. 
The landscape is generally undulating, disclosing at the north ana north- 
east broken ridges of hills, which were now and then surmounted by scat- 
tering pines. 

The buffalo having letl; the vicinity soon after our arrival, we again 
moved camp eight or ten miles, to Beaver creek, an affluent of the 
Platte, where we remained for fifteen or twenty days. 

Our stay at this place was one continued series of feasting, as we lacked 
nothing of all the varied delicacies procurable in a country abounding with 
game. But one item in our entertainment was indeed a novelty, — viz . 
crows' eggs. Almost eveiy tree and bush, skirting the creek at intervals 
for miles above and below, had been appropriated to the use of the countless 
Bwarms of crows that populated the surrounding prairie. Sometimes four 
or five nests of these birds might be seen upon a single tree. On two or 
three occasions I obtained from six to ten dozen of eggs in the course of 
an hour. These, whether boiled, roasted, or fried, were found quite an ac- 
cepte,ble addition to our bill of daily fare. 

The climate of this region is evidently less mild, and its warm season 
much shorter, than is common to other places in the same latitude. 

It was now the middle of June, and yet the wild fruits, currants, cherries, 
and plums, were only in blossom, and all other kinds of vegetation assumed 
the appearance of recent spring. Indeed, the day succeeding our arrival, 
enow fell to a depth of three or four inches, and remained upon the ground 
for several hours. Whether such occurrences are common, 1 have not the 
necessary information to decide. 

In our excursions after game, the remains of an Indian fort had been 
discovered in a small grove, a short distance below camp, which received 
the honor of our subsequent occupancy. A few hours devoted to repairs 
rendered it a complete shelter from either wind or rain ; and, still farther 
to enhance its conveniences, we succeeded in digging a small well adjoin- 
ing the entrance, thus securing a most welcome supply of cool water. 
Here revelling in the midst of plenty, with nothing to think of or care for 
but our own personal comforts, we had no mind to exchange our sitaation 
for the fatigues of war and the drudgery of camp-duty. 

Several incidents also occurred in the interim to enliven the scene and 
reheve its otherwise dull monotony. On one occasion a strolling wolf, 
venturing too near camp, received the contents of my rifle and instantly 
fell. Supposing the shot to be a fatal one, I advanced and seized him by 
the tail with the design of taking his skin. 

But the creature, having been only stunned by a neck wound, now re- 
vived in full strength, and, enraged at his rough treatment, called into ex- 
ercise the utmost tension of his energies to afford a bitter sample of the 
fierceness of wolfine yengeance. Here was a qaandarr— to rt Un^aifli 
28* 



S80 THE NOCTURNilL WARBLER. 



the hold would have been to invite a doubtful collision — to allow him an 
instant's time for turning upon rae, must have proved equally perilous h- 
the only resource was to retain my grasp with twofold energy, and run 
backwards as fast as possible, which I did, pulling the struggling beast 
after me, — now twisting this way, now that way, in vain effort to attack, 
—and growling and snapping his teeth with all the ferocity of his sav 
age nature. 

What v/ould have been the result of this strange adventure, it is hard to 
tell, were it not that one of my camp-mates hastened to the rescue, and 
,with a club despatched his wolfship At any rate I had no curiosity to 
Bubrait the question to a further test. 

With us tbe practice of early rising was remembered only as the whim 
of visionary theorists, and this important item in the routine of daily du- 
ties, was often postponed to an unreasonable hour. Once we came very 
near paying dearly for the indulgence. The sun had toJd more than two 
hours of his daily round, and only one of our number had doffed the drow- 
siness of sleep and betaken himself to an eminence to scan the surround- 
ing solitude. Here the first object that met his gaze was a war-party of 
mounted savages, advancing upon him at full charge. 

He had scarcely time to reach camp and give the alarm, when the whole 
troop came pouring in upon all sides with the rapidity of a torrent, making 
the air resound with their terrific yells. Seizing my arms I was the first 
to meet the assailants, and, levelling at them, made signs that an advance 
would be at their peril. Upon this they recoiled, and shouted at the top 
of their voices, *' Amigos ! Arapahos .'" accompanied with the signs of 
friendship and their nation. 

Satisfied of the truth of these declarations, we permitted them to coma 
up, and, in a few minutes, all were quietly seated, and the " pipe" per- 
forming its tireless rounds. 

Our boldness in daring to offer a resistance greatly excited their sur- 
prise, and the more so, as we had only four rifles, while they bad many 
arrows, and were more than ten times our number. An old chief, after 
listening to their remarks, replied : 

" My people must not deceive themselves. The pale faces are brave 
and kill their enemies a long way off. Those " said he, pointing to a 
brace of pistols, " would have laid many of my warriors low, after the 
medicine-irons had spoken their death-words. The Great Spirit has taught 
the pale-face how to fig'ht." 

Our visitors had at first supposed us a war-party of Pawnees, and came 
with the full design of securing a scalp-dance. Had they caught us nap- 
ping, without doubt our own lives would have been substituted for those 
of their enemies. 

In a few hours the motley crew again resumed their course, and left us 
to the undisturbed enjoyment of our sequestered retreat, thankful indeed 
to be free from their presence. 

In addition to the howling of wild beasts and the hooting of prairie-owls 
by night, the locality afforded other music to sooth the hours of glumber. 
A bira of uiiknown species had built her nest in the boughs of a cotton- 



LOfT. 831 



wood that expanded directly over our heads, and devoted her maternal care 
to the sustenance of her fledgelings. But her unwearied industry by day 
less commanded our admiration than the sweet melody of her nocturnal 
warbiings. 

Soon as the " pointers " told the " noon of night," her song commenced 
in all its variations, like the soft breathings of an angel's lute, nor ceased 
till the gray of morning broke from the empurpled east. Often have 'I 
listened half dreamingly to the bewitching notes that mingled with the 
harsh discord of the wilderness around me, and fancied myself guarded by 
celestial spirits against the assaults of harm. 

With such kindly thoughts, who might not mount in his slumbers on 
the wings of imagination, arid step from star, as 'mid the changeless realma 
of bliss. 



CHAPTER XXXll. 



Lost. — Night on the Prairie. — Head of the Kansas river. — Minerals. — Country.— 
Gold. — Wonderful incident relative to a wounded bull. — Indians. — ^Join the Arapa< 
hos. — Moving village. — Country between Beaver creek and the Platte.' — Caiion. — 
Reach Fort Lancaster. — Fortune bettered. — News from the States. — Murder. — Ex- 
traordinary instances of human tenacity to life. — Arrival of Indians. — ^Theft. — 
Chyerme outrage.— Return of Oregon emigrants.—" Old Bob," and his adventures.— 
A " Protracted Meeting," or Indian Medicine-making. — Indian oath. — Jaunt to th« 
mountains. — Mountain scenery. — Camp on Thompson's creek. — Wild fruits. — Con- 
centration of valleys. — Romantic view. — A gem in the moimtains. — Grand river 
pass. — Salt lakes. — Astonishing scope of vision. — ^The black-tailed deer. — Peculi« 
arity in horses. — Remarkable natural fortification. — Return. — Travelling by guesg. 

Owi day, on leaving camp in quest of game, I carelessly travelled till 
near sundown, without success. The hills, hollows, and ravines which 
intersected my way and continually changed its bearings, so' completely 
bewildered me, that, as night shut down upon tiie cheerless expanse, I 
found myself far away from any suitable camping-place, and alone amid 
the realms of loneliness. Thus conditioned, I was forced to submit to 
circumstances, and accordingly accepted of such lodgings as nature af- 
forded. 

My lonely and dangerous situation, with the thrilling sensations expe- 
rienced during the interval, gave birth to the following lines, which, by aid 
of a rude pencil formed from a bullet, were next morning traced upon a 
•mall scrap of paper. I submit them to the reader, not that they possesi 
any intrinsic merit, but because they will enable him to derive some £uik 
idea of the terrific wildness and beauty of the surrounding scenes. 



SKI mQKT ON THB PAiURffi. 



NIGHT ON THE PRAIRIE. 

I. 

The Babie garb of darkness clothes the land, 
And twilight's sickly hue bids day farewell ; 

The prairie's vast expanse on either hand 
Marks solitude's domain. O'er hill and dell, 

And wide-extended plain, I cast my eyes, 
To view, perchance, some grove or fav'ring stream. 
And hie me thitherward while yet the gleam 

Of day's fast-failing Hght bepaints the skies 

With tints scarce seen, — tor there I'd seek reposer* 

But for them look in vain ; so here, alone, 
Wearied and worn, I sit me down and close 

My tiresome wanderings, — nor bate to own 
The chilling thrill of terror o'er me creeps, 
And from my mind ail thoughts of slumber keeps I 

U. 

Oh, Solitude ! First-born of Night ! 'Tis here 

Thy reign is undisputed ! Here no noise 
Of human feet doth greet thy hst'ning ear, — 

Save ch?nce as mine, or savage want enjoys 
His arms at chase or rage at bloody war ! — 

Here haunts the beast of prey. The starved wolfs howl 

In ceaseless conceit swells ! The midnight owl 
Joins in his dolesome lay ; — the raven's caw 

Loud mingles with the panther's yell, — and then 
The hoarse-toned bison grunts his bass, and makes 

Thy dismal realm more drear to lonely men. 
iEolus here his fresh-form'd wind awakes, 

And marks its speed unchecked ; whose whistling motn 

O'er tliy domain makes loneliness more lone ! 

III. 

My thoughts, now kindred to the scene, arise 
In hurried flight, whose hideous aspects wake. 

Full quick, imagination's sleepless eyes. 

That conjure up such frightful forms as shake 

The boldest hearts with dread. In every herb 

Of prouder growth, — whose prongs the sweeping blajtt 
Hath taught to move, — some foe of savage cast 

Appears and threatens ill, as if to curb 

The onward progress of the god of sleep : — 

(For here man sees his fellow man, unknown, 
As foe ; and, arm'd for fight, he minds to keep 

The strictest watch, lest, from advantage shown, 
He tempt unlucky war.) So hurriedly 
^ tnatch my arms to fight each form I sea ? 



ntamv o!i tee p&AmiiL 



IV. 

Bat, whj thus fear ? Give place, ye visions diead ! 

Ye thoughts of boding danger, drearisome, 
Cease to oppress ! Is not the path I tread 

So by Omniscience mark'd, that perils come 
Not near, to even hurt a single hair, 

Without His wise permit ? Are not my days 

Securely meted out, and all mv ways 
So ffuarded, too, that Uironging dangers share 

No part in harm's advance or death's progreH 
Till all are told ? And can my vigilance, 

Fathered by childish fear, make more or less 
The given sum ? Cheerly, draw courage thenet, 

My cowering heart ; feel safety here. Give room 

To other thoughts, and chase these clouds of glooa 

V. 

Thus, banished fear, at reason's bid, I cast 

My willing gaze toward heaven. In every star 

That forms the sparkling crown of night, though fait 
In regions of unbounded space, so far 

As scarcely seen by mortal ken, — appears 
Some guardian angel, robed in light, to keep 
His ceaseless vigils o'er my coucb of sleep, 

Lest in my slumbering moments danger near 
To cut the thread of Ufe, and thus undo 

The purposes of God. The silver moon 
Sheds forth her radiance unconfined, and throvgh 

The desert wild to flower and herb gives boon, 
And decks each blade with dewy pearls, and pom 
Them on the earth, to cheer my waking hours. 

VL 

Nature's vast caravansera, above, 

Below, around, on either side, begirt 
With midnight's varied splendors, scenes I love, 

Becomes enchantment's self, while zephyrs sport 
The fragrance of the wild-flowers multiform, 

And greet my nostrils with their rich perfume, 

To ptease my senses. Thus my thoughts msn«e 
Their wonted course, and hush the passing storm 

Of fear. Alone ! Not lonely I. For here 
E'en loneliness companion proves to me. 

And solitude is company. My ear 
Drinks music from these savage sounds ; I see 

Amusements in these forms ; my heart's as 

ABd easy beats, as 'mid a city's throng ! 



834 THE GOLD REGION. 



vn. 

To me thrice welcome then, ye prairies wild ! 

Midnight, and gloom, and solitude, ye please 
My restless fancy ! Welcome tlien your child ! — 

For here's my home. And so, with mind at ease, 
I will embrace my mother earth, and court 

The soothing power of sleep. The clear blue sky 

My canopy, the ground my bed, I lie 
Encurtain'd by the paie moon-beams, which sport 

Beside my lowly couch, and light the dew 
With mimic diamonds' glow — while flowers around 

My piliow'd head their willing incense strew, 
And the sweet dreaming bird anon doth sound 

Some isolated note of melody ! — 

Thus chamber'd here, may not kings envy me ? 

My return to camp the next day served to quiet the apprehensions that 
had been experienced on my account during the interim. 

This excursion took me some fifteen miles eastward, to the head waters 
of the Kansas river. The country in that neigliborhood wore a barren 
aspect, and was generally sandy and undulating. 

I noticed a kind of mineral substance, of a jetty lustrous appearance, 
which I took to be black-lead. I also remarked certain indications of gold, 
but whether this metal actually exists here I am unable to say ; yet true it 
is, the surface aflbrris large quantities of " gold blossom," and it is said 
also, that gold has been found in these parts. 

The region lying upon the head branches of the Kansas river is con- 
sidered very dangerous, — it being the war-ground of the Pawnees, Caws, 
Chyennes, Sioux, and Arapahos, — and hence comparatively Uttle is known 
of its character and resources. It is represented as quite sandy and 
Bterile back from the watercourses, and in many other places but Uttle 
better than a desert waste. The gold story alluded to in the preceding 
paragraph came lo me from various sources, in the following shape r 

Some twenty years since, while tlie Arapahos were at hostilities with 
ihe whites, a war-party of that tribe advanced against the Pawnees, led on 
by a noted chief, called " Whirlwind." Three only of them had guns, acd 
they soon expended their stock of bullets in shooting small game, there be- 
ing no bufl^lo upon the route. Finally, left without any thing to eat, they 
became discouraged, and a council was held to discuss the expediency of 
rehnquishing the expedition. 

Having seated themselves upon a small eminence, the question of return 
W3.a debated with great earnestness, — a majority being in the affirmative. 
But the head chief, " Whirlwind," bringing all his eloquence to bear upon 
the opposite side, at last obtained their consent to proceed. 

During the conference, several small pieces of a glittering yellow sub- 
stance were discovered upon the surface, which proved soft and easily 
worked into any shape. From these a supply of bullets was procured, 
%Dd, resuming their course, they soon after met the Pawnees,_with whom 




Whirlwind. — Page 334. 



JOIN ARAPAHOS. *87 



they fought, and were victorious, — every bullet discharged killing an 
•nemy. 

Tills victory was so signal and complete, that the superstitious warriors 
attributed it solely to the medicine-doings of the yellow balls, — three or four 
of which were finally buried with the chief at his death. The only white 
man permitted to see them, describes them as having been precisely the 
color of brass, — very soft and heavy. Admitting that the story is true, * 
there are doubtless very rich mines of gold in tliis vicinity, that being the 
only metal assimilating brass in color. 

Previous to our leaving Beaver creek, an incident occurred showing the 
remarkable tenacity of life peculiar to bufialo. 

An old bull appeared in the distance, travelling at a rapid rate almost 
directly towards camp. Being in want of a re-supply of fresh meat, I 
seized my rifle and advanced to intercept him. Owing' to the unfavorable 
state of the wind, I was forced to make so long a shot that the ball fell som© 
two feet below tlie mark, and struck near the knee-joint of the fore leg, 
shivering it to pieces. 

Still, however, the animal kept on, with scarcely diminished speed, and 
held me a chase of three miles or more before I could overtake him to fin- 
ish the work. At length he was dispatched ; but, on butchering him, I 
was surprised to find a third bullet-wound, apparently three or four days 
old. The ball was full one-half the size of my own, and, incredible as it 
may seem, had penetrated the butt of the buffaloes heart, 

I could scarcely believe my own eyes, — yet such was the fact. The 
creature had survived a heart-shot for days, and then, with a broken leg, 
had held me a chase of three miles. 

Our final adventure at this camp, was with a party of Indians. Having 
discovered the latter, early one morning, and supposing thera Pawnees, 
we prepared for an encounter. The objects of our apprehension, mista- 
king us for the same, continued manoeuvring upon the adjoining hills the 
entire day, in such a manner as to lead us to conclude the whole 
country was filled with Indians. 

Toward sundown, after vainly endeavoring to procure an attendant, I 
armed myself and proceeded alone to the spot where they had been last 
seen, determined to discover, if possible, the nature and extent of the 
danger that awaited us. Here, a single warrior advanced to meet me, — 
giving signs of friendship and of his nation. In answer to the inquiry, 
why his party had acted so strangely, he said they had thought us enemies, 
and were afraid. 

He accompanied me to camp, and, soon after his companions came up , 
but, instead of the powerful war-party of Pawnees awaiting to slaugnter 
us by night, as our imaginations ha^ depicted, and their cunning move- 
ments led us to infer, they proved but three Arapaho warriors, tlu-ee squaws, 

• The country adjacent to the head branches of the Kansas river is but little 
known to the whites, who seldom visit it on account of its daiigeroiu nature. That 
Taiuable minerals are contamed in its soil is quite probable, and no doubt they will 
Im broHf ht to light upon due research. 

29 



838 PREVAILING ROCIL 

and two children. Our surprise at this laughable denouement was only 
equalled by their own. 

They announced themselves in search of the Arapaho village, and ex- 
pressed much pleasure at meeting with the whites. Our visitors having 
passed the night v/ith us, the next morning we yielded to iheir sohcitations, 
and set out v/ith them to the village, some eighteen miles distant, in a 
northwest direction. 

About noon we arrived at the place, and found six or seven hundred 
lodges of Arapalios, Chyennes, and Sioux, encamped in a large valley 
skirting a small affluent of Beaver creek. 

The village, being prepared to move, in a few moments succeeding our 
arrival, was en route for the Platte river. The spectacle was novel and 
imposing. Lodge followed lodge in successive order, — forming vast pro- 
cessions for miles in length. Squav/s, children, horses, and dogs, mingling 
in promiscuous throng, covered the landscape in every direction, and gave 
it the aspect of one dense mass of life and animation. 

Here a troop of gorgeously dressed and gaily painted damsels, ail- ra- 
diant with smiles and flaunting in conscious beauty, bestriding richly ca- 
parisoned horses, excited the admiration and commanded the homage of 
gallantry ; there a cavalcade of young warriors, bedaubed with fantast.c 
colors — black, red, vv^hite, blue, or yellow, in strict accordance with savage 
tau>i.e — habited in their nicest attire, swept proudly along, chanting their 
war-deeds in measured accents to tlie deep-toned drum ; and then another 
band of pompous horsemen scoured the spreading plain, in eager race to 
test the speed of their foaming chargers ; and, yet again, a vast army of 
mounted squaws, armed with tiie implements for root-digging, spread ikr 
and wide in search of the varied products of the prairie ; then, among the 
moving masy, passed slowly along the travees, conveying the aged, infirm, 
and helpless, screened from the heat of a summer's sun by awnings of skins, 
that beshaded their cradled occupants, — while immense trains of pacli-ani- 
mals, heavily laden with provisions and camp equipage, as they crowded 
amid the jogging multitudes, united to complete the picture of a travelling 
Indian village. 

Yielding to the request of our new friends, we proceeded with them ten 
or twelve miles further and passed the night in their lodge. 

Our route from Beaver creek led over a tumulous country, interspersed 
with valleys of a rich soil, and prolific in rank vegetation. The side-hills 
afforded large quantities of pomme blanc, and the prairies and bottoms a 
splendid array of choice floral beauties. 

The creeks disclosed wide, sandy beds, often dry and skirted by broad 
valleys which were passably well timbered. The principal ridges were 
not high, but surmounted by dense pine forests, with pleasant openings, 
smiling in all the loveliness of spring. 

Notwithstanding the scanty volumes of the streams, the country presents 
to the traveller the appearance of being well watered by frequent rains, 
while ever and anon a gurgling fountain strikes upon his ear with its soii 
music. 

Stratified rock is usually rare ; the only species noticed were limestone 
utd sandstone. I remarked a great abundance of silex and hon blen4 



HUMAI^ TENACHT TO LITE. «39 

witli some curious specimens of ligneous petrifactions. The only indica- 
tion of minerals observable, was that of iron and coal. 

The entire section from Beaver to Cherry creek posse.sses nearly the 
same geological and mineralological character, its indigenous produo 
tions are such as are common to the mountain prairies, and are found in 
equal abundance ; — -a remark which will also apply to its game. 

As a whole, perhaps two-thirds of it might be cultivated, to some extent, 
were it not for unseasonable frosts ; and all of it miglit be turned to good 
account for stock-raising. 

The next day we bade farewell to our Indian friends, (leaving behind us 
ane of our number, who chose to accompany them to tlie Fort,) and again 
launched forth upon the broad expanse. Bearing a course vvest-northweat, 
about noon of the second day we struck Cherry creek, some thirty-tive or 
forty miles above its mouth ;— thence, crossing the lofty plateaux, on the 
west, with two or three intervening creeks, toward evening of the third 
day we reached the Platte river at its exit from the mountains. 

Our intention was to enter the mountains and spend a few weeks in 
deer-hunting ; but, the river proving impassable, on account of high water, 
we were compelled to forego that purpose for the present, and accordingly 
started for Fort Lancaster to procure a re-supply of ammunition. 

Continuing down the Platte, on the third day wo reached our destination, 
and were kindly received, though humorously rallied upon our way-worn 
and forlorn appearance. Nor were we backward to join the laugh, occar 
sionaily retorting, when the jocose current set too strong against us, 
" Well, v/hat do you know about war ? — You've never been to Texas !" 

The 6th of July dated our arrival, — the glorious fourth having been spent 
in plodding over a broad prairie, on foot, with rifles upon our shoulders and 
packs upon our backs. By comparison, I concluded my fortune,had slight- 
ly improved since July 4th of the preceding year, which found me in a 
cheerless prairie, on foot, packing my bed, almost naked, witliout knife or 
gun, or having had a mouthfuU to eat for two days previous. 

Capt. Fremont, elsewhere spoken of, had just arrived from the States on an 
expedition to Oregon, ordered by tlie United Srates Government, and brought 
intelligence of an existing armistice between Mexico and Texas. Accom- 
panying his narty was one whom I recognized as an old acquaintance 
of other lands, the first and only one I had tlie pleasure of meeting with 
during my long sojourn in the country. 

July 1 1 ih, Witnessed tlie death of an old mountaineer at Fort Lancas- 
ter, who came to his end from the effects of a pistol wound received in a 
drunken frolic on the 4th. The ball entered the back about two inchea 
below the heart, severely fracturing the vertebree and nearly severing the 
spinal marrow. 

He lived just one week succeeding the occurrence, but meanwhile su^ 
fered more than the agonies of death. His body below the wound was en- 
tirely devoid of feeling or use from the first, and, as duath preyed upon him 
by piecemeal, he would often implore us with most piteous and heart-mel^ 
ing appeals kindly to ease his miseries by hastening his end. The muv' 
derer was left at large, and in two or three weeks subsequent accompani*^ 
Cs^pt. Fremont to Oregon. 



M« «*OU>BO&'' 



The above is tlie most remarkable exhibition of human tenacity to lift 
that ever came under ray personal observation ; I have, however, heard 
of instances far more extraordinary. The case of Ex-Governor Boggs, of 
Mo., in '41, who recovered from the effects of a vi^ound, that not only frac- 
tured his scull, but actually emitted particles of the brain, is doubtless well ' 
known ; yet another of like nature, still more wonderful in its details, oc- 
curred to an old French trapper, named Augustine Clermont, with whom 
I am well acquainted. 

Clermont, in an affray with a Spaniard, had been prostrated by a blow 
that fractured his scull in the ccciput. His antagonist then fell upon him 
and thrust the point of a knife into the brain repeatedly, and finally left him 
for dead. 

Soon after, he was found by his friends in this deplorable situation, who, 
on perceiving he yet breathed, kindly dressed his wounds, and bestowed 
upon him the attention his situation demanded, and in a short time he be* j 
came perfectly sound and hearty. \ 

July lith. The Indian village before spoken of, on its way in quest of 
buffalo, visited the Fort, and, as is customary on such occasions, the 
squaws and children made themselves busy in appropriating to their own us© 
Buch Uttle articles as came within their reach. I was minus a blanket 
through their artfulness, and several other individuals suffered equally with 
myself. 

Some six weeks afterward they returned, and again called at the Fort* 
when, recognizing my stolen blanket in the possession of a young warrior, 
I immediately took it from him. At first he' stoutly resisted, and the more 
80 as several hundred of his tribe were present, — but, all to no purpose ; 
and he at length yielded, as he saw me on the point of enforcing my claims 
to it in a more feeling way, such as would doubtless have endangered his 
own personal safety. 

I remained at Fort Lancaster for two months or more ; and the several 
iniidents which occurred in the interim may be thus briefly summed up: 

The first in order was an outrage of the Chyennes, in cruelly murdering 
the young man with whom I had passed a portion of the preceding winte- 
upon Vasques' creek. 

The next was the appearance of a small party of emigrants, on their re- * 
turn to the States, — having become displeased with the management of 
the company then en route for Oregon. 

A third was tlie arrival of one of the four men who had left for the Cun- ^ 
arone at the first disbanding of the Texan volunteers, and were subsequent- 
ly taken prisoners by the Mexicans. 

After being incarcerated at Santa Fe for two or three weeks, they were 
finally hberated, with the exception of one, who had died in the interval. To- 
ward the last of their imprisonment, tJiey were treated kindly, owing to the 
exemplarv conduct of the Texans, as spoken of elsewhere. 

The fellow tnus introduced, responding to the name of " Old Bob," made 
himself quite conspicuous by his subsequent conduct. The gentleman in ^ 
charge at Fort Lancaster, pitying his deplorable condition, kindly afforded 
him employment at a liberal compensation, and Old Bob set to work fiutb- 



THE WICKED SHALL NOT GO UNPIJIflsmtD. ^41 

fully. In the course of twelve or fifteen days, however, he improved the 
opportunity of stealing a rifle and ammunition, with wliich he absconded 
and set his face for the mountains. 

All that he now lacked to complete his equipment was a good horse, which 
deficiency seemed luckily made up by tlie discovery of one recently strayed 
from the Indians. " I must have him," said Bob. So, carelessly droppmg 
his rifle and pack, he commenced a fruitless effort to capture the erratic 
steed. 

For a while his success seemed almost certain ; but, after a tedious trial 
for several hours, he was finally obliged to relinquish the attempt, and turn- 
ed to recover his rifle and pack. Alas, for Old Bob ! here an unlooked-for 
calamity presented itself — tliey v/ere not to be found I 

Vainly it was that he searched diligently for four successive days, en- 
during in the mean time ail tliQ pangs of hunger and the goadings of a 
guilty conscience — his scrutiny gave not tlie shghtest indication of their 
whereabouts. " Truly, ' the way of transgressors is hard !' " thought Bob, 
as with reluctance he abandoned all,* and despairingly set his face to go- 
ne knew not whither ! — half-starved and half-naked, with neither pistol, gun, 
nor butcher-knife, for his defence in a dangerous country ; nor one morsel 
to renew his strengtli by day, nor even a solitary rag to screen him from 
the chill air of night ! 

The next place at which Old Bob showed himself was at an Indian 
lodge, thither driven by the impulse of hunger — having starved for more 
than five successive days. Here he procured a temporary supply from the 
compassionate inmates, who also kindly gave him a robe. 

Nothing further was heard of him for eight or ten days, and the gener- 
ally conceded opinion was, that he had either starved to death or had been 
killed by savages, when an express from the Arkansas brought intelligence 
of having encountered him by the way. 

The luckless wight, after being without eating for five or six more days, 
had been robbed by the Apache Indians of everything about him except a 
pair of ragged pantaloons, and barely escaped from them with his fife ! 
The express furnished him with a quantity of provisions, a pistol, robe, and 
ammunition, when, bidding him farewell, the two resumed their respective 
courses. 

From this date, his story is briefly told. Pursuing his way toward the 
Arkansas, he soon after met a small party of Mexican traders, and, creep- 
ing upon their encampment at inght, helped himself to a couple of horses. 
" It's a straight road that has no turns," muttered Old Bob, as he mounted 
one of them and returned to tlie Platte, where he bartered the other for a 
rifle and ammunition. 

For a brief interval he seemed to prosper in his iniquity, but erelong 
the tables were again turned upon him, and he experienced the hteral ful- 
filment of that other declaration of holy writ which says, " The wicked 
ihall not go unpunished.^^ 

Elated by his recent success, he again started for the Arkansas, with 

• IVo waeks subsequently, while on a hunting excursion, the person to whom the 
cAolen rifle belonged foimd it, with all the property of the thief; — a raoet remarkabU 
•iwtUMtanoe, as the country had bean filled with strolling Indians during the interval 



342 A FROTRAOTED MEETCfG 



the int^^nt of renewing his depredations,, accompanied by two other advei>« 
turers wliom he had pursuaded to become the partners of his criminal enter- 
prise ; but, before proceeding far, he fell in with the same compauy of Mex- 
ican traders from whom he had stoler. the horses. They immediately re- 
cognized him and the animal he rede, and took possession of the latter. 
As for Old Bob, notwithstanding his protestations of innocence and stout 
resistance, they stripped him of gun, pistol, and ammunition — gave him a 
Bcvere Jlogging, and again turned him adrilt upon the prairie, destitute of 
everything except the baseness of his own heart ! 

" Well, Bob,'" said one of his comrades; " this business appears not so 
profUable, after all; thougli yoa, doubtless, have become quite warmed in 
its pursuit. For my own part I shall quit it before I begin, and return to 
the States/' 

" And 1, too ;" chimed in the other. 

"The fact is," replied Bob, *' this country is getting rather too hot forme, 
and I'll bear you com.pany ! What d'ye say to that ?" 

" Just as you like," responded his two companions ; " that is, provided 
you wont attempt the grab game on us." 

"Come, boys; now that's too bad ! Oh, you may rest assured I will 
never repay a jdndjiess with ingratitude, neither will I abuse the confidence 
of friends.'' 

Thus arianged, the three started on their way. Coming upon a camp of 
hunters, a few miles below Bent's Fort, they concluded to remain a short 
time in order to procure a supply of meat for their journey. Here our slip- 
pery custoiner borrowed a horse and rifle of his comrade, pretendedly for a 
bufialo hunt, and under a most solemn pledge of returning them ; how- 
ever, on finding himself again armed and mounted, ho was not slow to imh 
prove the opportunity of bidding an abrupt farewndl to the unsuspecting 
dupe, and resumed his course toward the States. 

How he eventually succeeded through this last shift, I am unable to say ; 
jet, the brief story of his adventures tluis far is sufficient to prove, that 
iniquity sometimes, even in this fife, receives a severe reward. 

Toward the last of August the Arapahos and Chyennes held a grand 
convocation, in the vicinity of Fort Lancaster, for the porpose of medicine-' 
making ; or, in other words, [saying their united devotions to the Great 
Spirit. The gathering might v.ith propriety have been termed a "Pro/roc*- 
ed Meeting,'^ as it continued for three successive days and nights, exclusive 
of the time occupied in preliminary arrangements. " 

Besides the tv;o tribes above named, a large number of Sioux, Curaaft- 
ches, Blackfeet, and Riccarees, were present, swelling the concourse to 
nearly a thousand lodges. 

The regular participants in the ceremonies of the occasion had pre- 
?iously orepared themselves by a fast of three days, attended with frequent 
washings and purifications. A large lodge had been erected in the 
form of an amphitheatre, as described uj;on a former page, with apoleiniti 
centre pointing to the zenitli, near the top of wliich was affixed the head 
of a butialo. Here the throng assembled, with up-turned eyes, encircling 
it around in solemn dance, accompanied by a low musical chant, as they 
addressed the " Big Medicine,'- This strange worship was maintainei 



I 



JLLIN CHABf OF THE RCX^KY MOUIfTAIIfS. 343 

day and night, without intermission, — the devotees meanwiiile neither 
eating nor drinking. So exhausted were they, that at times, they fell irom 
effects of weakness and fatigue. 

Some of their performances savored much of Hindoo origin. Those 
wishing to be thought particularly good, attested their piety by cutting 
themselves in various places, — and, yet others, by drawing after them the 
heads of buffalo fastened upon hooks inserted in their own flesh, As 
the exercises were about to close, an offering of blankets, robes, beads, 
tobacco, &c., was made to the Good Spirit, after which the crowd di»- 
persed. 

Their object appeared to be a threefold ore, viz : to do penance for sin, to 
fliank the Author of Good for past favors, and to implore a continuance of 
His beneficence for the future. 

The head around which they danced was evidently not the object of 
their veneration, but was placed there simply to remind them that, as the 
buffalo constituted tlieir principal sustenance, the Good Being should be 
more especially adored on its account. 

A number of articles having disappeared from the Fort rather myste- 
riously, suspicion was fastened upon an Indian for appropriating them in 
the usual way. He was accordingly charged with tiie theft, but strongly 
aflirmed his innocence, and, to place the matter beyond doubt, took an oath 
in attestation of his words. The ceremony observed was as follows : 

Taking his bow, he selected the stoutest- of his arrows, and, holding it 
in his right hand, pointed successively to the sky, the ground, and his own 
heart; then, kissing the bow, he again protested his innocence. This 
being considered satisfactory, he was honorably acquitted of the charge. 

An Indian is rarely known either to violate his oath or to swear falsely, 
as in such a case he would be looked upon as being irrecoverably exposed to 
the immediate wrath of heaven and the vengeance of man. The import of 
this ceremony may be expressed in these words : " Thou who dwellest in the 
air and earth, receive from me this arrow, and with this bow plunge it to 
my heart, if I do not speak the truth !" I leave the reader to judge in 
regard to the binding nature of its obligations. 

00 Sept, 25th. Having purchased a horse for the purpose, I proceeded to 
the mountains on a hunting excursion, where, unattended by any one, I 
had a further opportunity of testing the varied sweets of solitude. 

My course lay directly west some eight miles to Soublet's creek, a con- 
siderable affluent of tJie Platte, heading at the base of Liong's Peak, — 
thence, continuing up its right hand branch, I penetrated into the moun- 
tainf«, on the second day, a distance of several miles and camped. One of 
the passes to Grand river, which is generally thought much the nearest 
rovtje, leads up this branch. 

The interval from the 27th to the 30th was devoted to exploration, and 

1 ascended the main chain of the mountains left of Long's Peak. The 
usual height of this ridge is about ten thousand feet, upon which thi 
stem chambers of deathless winter are repeatedly exposed to the eye. 

The mountains and creeks were well timbered, — the former with pine, 
cedar, and balsam, and the latter with cottonwood, aepon, and box-elder 



844 AGIH. 

Along the wartercourses and intermingled with the rude array of hilli 
and rocks, were many beautiful valleys, prairillons, and plateaux, all clothed 
with rank vegetation ; and, indeed, the soil of the entire section appeared 
tolerably fertile. 

The prevailing rock of this region is feldsphatic granite, gneiss, mica- 
ceous sandstone, and slate. These different classifications (here strown 
about in confused piles, and there again tov/ering in massive walls of im- 
mense altitude) presented an impressively grand appearance, and united 
to render the scenery one of varied sublimity and magnificence. 

Sept. ZOtk. In the afternoon I raised camp and proceeded for ten or 
twelve miles, through a broad opening between two mountain ridges, 
bearing a northwesterly direction, to a large valley skirting a tributary of 
Thompson's creek, where, finding an abundance of deer, I passed the in- 
terval till my return to the Fort. 

Upon all the principal streams were large quantities of cherries and 
plums, wliich proved quite acceptable. The cherry (cerasus virginiana) indi- 
genous to this country is quite similar in appearance to our common wild 
cherry, though it is generally larger and more pleasantly tasted. It grows 
upon a small bush, and yields in lavish profusion. 

Three different varieties of plums are common to these parts, but are so 
similar in most respects to the wild species of that fruit found in our South- 
ern and Western States, that I shall not take the trouble to describe them. 

The locality of my encampment presented numerous and varied attrac- 
tions. It seemed, indeed, like a concentration of beautiful lateral valleys, 
intersected by meandering watercourses, ridged by lofty ledges of precip- 
itous rock, and hemmed in upon the west by vast piles of mountains 
climbing beyond the clouds, and upon the north, south, and east, by sharp 
hues of hills that skirted the prairie ; while occasional openings, like gate- 
ways, pointed to the far-spreading domains of silence and loneliness. 

Easterly a wall of red sandstone and slate extended for miles north- 
ward and southward, whose counterscarp spread to view a broad and gen- 
tle declivity, decked with pines and luxuriant herbage, at the foot of which 
a lake of several miles in circumference occupies the centre of a basin- 
hke valley, bounded in every direction by verdant hills, that smile upon 
the bright gem embosomed among them. 

This valley is five or six miles in diameter, and possesses a soil well 
adapted to cultivation. It also affords every variety of game, while the 
lake is completely crowded with geese, brants, ducks, and guUs, to an ex- 
tent seldom witnessed. What a charming retreat for some one of the 
world-hating liltraii! He might here hold daily converse with himself, Na- 
ture, and his God, far removed from the annoyance of man. 

Four miles further north the traveller is brought to one of the main 
branches of Thompson's creek, up which is another pass to the waters of 
Grand river. 

This stream traces its way through a fertile valley, two or three miles 
oroad, stretching from the prairie almost to the base of Long's Peak, — a dis- 
tance of nearly thirty miles. The valley is well timbered and admirably 
adapted to stock-raismg. 

The hills and mountauis, enclosing it upon each side are also studded 



1 



NATURAL FOnnCATIOX. •** 

with forests of pine and cedar, while the entire section is stored with tl 
of the usual varieties of game known to contiguous regions, in additioa 
to its rich treasures of fruits, flowers and grasses. 

In surveying, from a commanding summit, the vast prairie skirting tht 
mnntain range upon the east, several small lakes are discernible at mfier- 
ent points. The water of these is usually brackish, and their shores, 
whitened by constant saline efflorescence, glisten in the suji's rays, and 
present a striking contrast with the surrounding verdure. 

The mind is perfectly astounded at the immense expanse thus brought 
witiiin the scope of vision. In a clear day, objects favorably situated no 
larger than an ox or a horse, may be seen at a distance of twenty miles, 
and the timber of creeks even for sixty or seventy miles. Here the behoider 
may scale beyond the clouds far heavenward, and gaze upon a world at 
his feet ! 

My hunting was confined principally to black-tailed deer. These ani- 
mals are mudi larger than others of the eenus c«nj», and their flesh is of a 
superior flavor. Their habits are sunilar to those of the wild sheep,— 
leading them constantly to seek the regions of spring ; in the winter, de- 
scending to the valleys, and in the summer, keeping pace with the melt- 
ing snows upon the mountain-sides. 

The extremity of their vertebra is shorter than that of other species of 
the deer family, and has upon it a small cluster of coarse, jetty hair, from 
which the animal derives its name. Their hair is usually of a dark brown 
color, coarse and brittle, with the exception of a strip of dirty white upon 
the haras. Their ears are very large and long, — quite similar to those of 
a mule ; in other respects, however, they conform to the peculiarities of 
the common deer. 

I was quite successful vrith my rifle, and, bv degrees, became much 
attached to the versatile life of lordly independence consociate with the 
loneliness of my situation. My horse, too, seemed to have forgotten all 
the allurements of former scenes, and presumed at no time to wander 
many yards from camp, — a peculiarity in this noble animal I have fre- 
quently had occasion to remark. When thus alone, a horse will substi- 
tute the society of man for that of his own species, and, as if conscious of 
surrounding danger, will seldom leave the vicinity of a camp for a long 
distance. 

Oct. 29^^, I started for the Fort. It had been my intention to visit 
a remarkable natural fortification upon one of the affluents of Crow creek, 
but, ammunition failing, T was reluctantly compelled to abandon it. 

This fortress is said to be complete in nearly all its parts, and capable 
of garrisoning a tliousand men, yet even one or two hundred might defend 
it from the repeated assaults of vast armies, and, with a small amount of 
labor, might render it impregnable. 

Its walls are huge masses of solid rock, one or two hundred feet in 
height, — apparently strata planted on end, — enclosing an area of several 
acres, unenterable except at limited openings. According to the glowing 
iescriptions of it given by hunters, it must be an object well worthy th« 
attention of the curious. 



846 FALSE ACCOUTfTS. 

• At night, I encamped at tlie base of the mountains, upon the right hand 
fork of Soublet's creek, and the next day reached the Fort. 

The last ten or twelve miles of the route (leading over an unbroken 
prairie) were travelled during a heavy fall of snow, which rendered the air 
60 dark it was impossible to see a dozen yards in advance. But what 
added still moie to the uncertainty of my course was the frequent van% 
ance of tlie wind, changing the position of the grass, and otherwise iii» 
creasing the constant hability to misjudge. Notwithstanding these accu- 
mulated difficulties, I struck the Platte river only half a mile below the in 
tended point 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

Newspapers. — False reports.— Singular gi-asses.— Sale of skins at Fort Lancaster.— Ab 
excursion. — An incident. — Camp. — Huge horns. — Leopard. — Panther. — Slaughter 
of eagles. — Dressing skins. — The hunter's carap. — Vasques' creek. — The weather. — 
Return of comrades to Fort. — Sweets of solitude. — Exposure m a snow-storm. — 
The canon of S. Fork Platte. — A ridge. — A valley. — Beautiful locaUty. — Choice 
site for a settlement. — Flowers in February. — A hunting incident. — Fate of the pre- 
mature flowers. — Adventure with a sheep. — Discovered by hidians. — A pleasant 
meeting. — Camp at Crystal creek. — Thoughts of home. — Resolve on going.— Com- 
mence journey. — The caravan. — "Big Timber." — Country to the " Crossing."— 
Big Salt Bottom. — Flowers. — A stranger of other lands. — Difficulty witli Indians. 
— " Friday." — Tedious travelling. — No timber. — Detention. — Country. — Pawnee 
Fork. — Mountain and Spanish companies. — Spy Buck, the Sawnee war chief. — 
Pawnee Fork. — Cure for a rattlesnake's bite. — Further detention. — Sketch of ad- 
jacent country. — Pawnee Rocks.— En route with Friday. — Musqui toes.— Observa- 
tions. — Friday as a hunter. 

The different trading companies had just arrived from the States, bring- 
ing their winter stock of goods, and, what was still more acceptable to me, 
a bundle of newspapers. Every item of intelligence contained in the lat- 
ter was greedily devoured, but what afforded me no little amusement was 
the palpable falsity and ignorance their editors exhibited in relation to mat- 
ters of this country. 

For instance, in giving the particulars of the murder of Charvis, a Mexi 
can trader, which occurred in March, 1843, the crime was represented as 
having been committed near the Little Arkansas, by a party of Texana 
on their way to join Col. Wartieid, who was then encamped in that vicinity 
vfith forty men ! whereas, at that time Col. Warfield had only nin£ men 
witli him, and was at least three hmidred miles from the Little Arkansas 
and further, the murderers of Charvis were not Texans ! 

Subsequently, an article in another paper came under my observation 
referring to a statement made to the National Institute, by an officer of the 



BEASTS OF PREY. 84? 

Ulited States DragoonSj purporting to give a description of the the ouffalc 
grasi common to the gi-and prairie. This grass was represented as grow 
ing sk or eight inches high, and as being abundant n the mountains, par- 
ticularly of New Mexico, where (if I rightly remember) it was said it re- 
mained green the entire winter. The truth of the matter is, buffalo grass 
very rarely exceeds hco and never attains four inches in height, — is not 
found in tiie mountains at all, so far as my observation has extended, and 
is green only about one monih in the year ! 

By the way, speaking of grass reminds me of a remarkable characteristic 
in some varieties indigenous to this country, and which will afford matter 
of speculation to the inquiring mind. The blade, killed by the frost of 
winter, is resuscitated in the spring and gradually becomes green from the 
root up, without casting its stubble or emitting new shoots ! 

The skins obtained during my hunt found a ready sale, at prices ranging 
from one to three dollars each, according their to quality and condition. 
These articles were in great demand for the manufacture of clothing among 
the Fort hands, and are considered far preferable to cloth. 

Nov. 10th. I again returned to the mountains, heading a small party 
that insisted upon bearing me company. Late in the afternoon of the se- 
cond day we made camp in a valley, behind the first ridge of hills, upon 
the right hand fork of Soublet's creek. 

An incident en route afforded some little amusement at the time. We 
had left the Fort without provisions, and I accordingly proceeded a short 
distance in advance for the purpose of killing antelope. Riding slowly on, 
I noticed a badger not far ahead, and dismounted to shoot him. But the 
creature becoming alarmed sprang for his hole, and T hastened to stop 
him. This I effected by tightly grasping his tail as he was in the very 
act of entering his burrow. In the chase my rifle had accidentally dis- 
charged itself, and here commenced a struggle between me and the badger 
— I to retain my hold while I unbelted my pistol to dispatch him, and he to 
enforce his liberty. At length I succeeded, and a choice supper was mad^ 
from his carcase, which, to all intents, was the fattest thing I ever saw. 

We remained encamped at the place above named for some six weeks, 
and devoted the interval principally to hunting sheep, of which there 
were vast numbers in the neighborhood. In attestation of the monstrouu 
horns borne by some of them, I need only mention the simple fact of my 
having, killed three sheep while here whose horns measured nineteen 
inches in circumference, and nearly three feet in length. 

One of our party encountered a strange looking animal in his excur- 
eions, which, from his description, must have been of the leopard family. 
This circumstance is the more remarkable, as leopards are rarely found 
except in southern latitudes. However, they are not unfrequently met 
with in some parts of the Cuiaancne country, and their skins furnish to 
the natives a favorite material for arrow-cases. 

The only beast of prey other than wolves, encountered during the 
entire winter, was a solitary panther, whose extreme shyness deded aJL 
attempts to approach within shooting distance 



«48 CAMP OF THE MOUNTAIN HUMTKiL 



H^W ^y >^»<»^»JfcJ 



My more lengthy rambles brought me to a large valley immured by lit 
era! hills, that had been occupied a short time previous by a party of In- 
dians, for the purpose of eagle-catching. As proof of their success, I 
counted the bodies of thirty-six eagles, lying in piles at their recent camp 
These consisted of the only two varieties found in the mountains, viz : the 
American and bald eagle. The wmg-feathers of these birds command a 
ready sale among the Indians, by whom they are highly prized for the em- 
pluming of arrows. 

The usual mode of dressing skins, prevalent in this country among both 
Indians and whites, is very simple in its details and is easily practised. 

It consists in removing all the fleshy particles from the pelt, and divest- 
ing it of a thin viscid substance upon the exterior, known as the " grain ;" 
then, after permitting it to dry, it is thoroughly soaked in a liquid decoc% 
tion formed from the brains of the animal and w^ater, when it is stoutly 
rubbed with the hands in order to open its pores and admit the mollient 
OToperties of the fluid, — this done, the task is completed by alternate rub- 
Dings and distensions until it is completely dry and soft. 

HI this manner a skin may be dressed in a very short time, and, on ap- 
pUcation of smoke, will not become hardened from any subsequent contact 
with water. 

The winter-camp of a hunter of the Rocky Mountains would doubtleso 
pove an object of interest to the unsophisticated. It is usually located in 
l^me spot sheltered by hills or rocks, for the double purpose of securing 
tbe full warmth of the sun's rays, and screening it from the notice of stroll 
^ Indians that may happen in its vicinity. Within a convenient prox- 
^ty to it stands some grove, from which an abundance of dry fuel is pro- 
garable when needed ; and equally close the ripplings of a watercourse salute 
^ ear with their music. 

His shantee faces a huge fire, and is formed of skins carefully extended 
e^er an arched frame-work of slender poles, which are bent in the form of 
& semicircle and kept to their places by inserting their extremities in the 
|p)und. Near this is his " graining block," planted aslope, for the ease of 
5ie operative in preparing his skins for the finishing process in tlie art of 
iressing ; and not f%r removed is a stout frame, contrived from four pieces 
of timber, so tied together as to leave a square of suflicent dimensions for the 
required purpose, in which, perchance, a skin is stretched to its fullest ex- 
tension, and the hardy mountaineer is busily engaged in rubbing it with a 
rough stone or *' scraper," to fit it for the manufacture of clothing. 

riicmghis shantee upon the opposite side of the fire, a pole is reared upon 
erotches five or six feet high, across which reposes a choice selection of 
the dainties of his range, to wit: the " side ribs," shoulders, heads, and 
•* rump-cuts" of deer and sheep, or the " d^pouille" and " fleeces" of buf- 
ttlo. The camp-fire finds busy employ in fitting for the demands of appe* 
tite such dainty bits of hissing roasts as en appolas may grace its siaes , 
while, at brief intervals, the hearty attendant, enchaired upon the head of < 
mountain sheep, (whose huge horns furnish legs and arms for the cony9« 
nimce of sitting,) partakes of his tempting lunch. 

OtivfiiUy hung m some fitting place, are seen his ** riding" and ** fuk 



EXPOSURE IN A SNOW-STORM. 849 



■addles," with his halters, " cavraces," " lariietts," " apishamores," and all 
the aeedful materiel for camp and travelling service ; and, adjoining him at 
no great distance, his animals are allowed to graze, or, if suitable nourish- 
ment of other kind be lacking, ai-e fed from the bark of cottonwood trees 
levelled for that propose ; and, leaning close at hand, his rifle awaits his 
use, and by U his powder-horn, bullet-pouch, and tomahawk. 

Thus conditioned are these lordly rangers in their mountain home, nor 
own that any creature of human kind can possibly enjoy life better than 
they. 

The events of each day varied so Uttle in their nature, that a minute no- 
tice of them would prove uninteresting to the general reader. Suffice it to 
say, we remained here till Jan. Ist, 1844, and then removed to Vasquea 
creek, some thirty-five miles further south, where we encamped in the vat 
ley that formed my hunting ground of the previous winter. 

The weather continued cold, and several falls of snow had occurred, 
covering the prairies to the depth of six or seven inches, and the moun- 
tains to the depth of many feet, though it rarely remained in the warm 
valleys and upon the sunny side-hills to exceed three successive hours. 

Our camp, as a general thing, was quite favorably situated in regard 
ta temperature ; the day time frequently affording a spring-like warmth, 
though the nights were usually cold. 

A peculiar species of grass among the hills retained its verdancy the 
entire season, as did also another variety in the valleys. Our horses and 
mules continued to thrive and even fatten upon the nourishing herbage 
thus afforded by these secret chambers of spring. 

Soon after our removal to Vasques' creek, three Indians, from a 
neighboring village, paid us a visit, who brought vague information of the 
approximity of the Sioux, which so excited the apprehension of my camp- 
mates relative to their own safety and that of their animals, that they 
were not satisfied to remain here any longer, and accordingly left for the 
Fort. Wishing to ascertain the true situation and locality of such suspi- 
cious neighbors, I proceeded to the Indian village for that purpose. The 
report proved unfounded ; but yet my extra-prudential comrades were 
unwilling to compromise their own safety by a further hunt, and argued 
■toutly to persuade me to accompany them beyond the reach of danger. 

In the morning, however, as all were ready to resume their journey, I 
mounted ray horse, and, bidding them adieu, with my lead pack-animal 
returned to the mountains, resolved on a further test of the sweets of 
loneliness. 

Remaining at our former camp for a week or more, I enjo3ring full 
scope for my trusty rifle among the vast quantities of deer which showed 
themselves in every direction ; and, in one of my many excursions, pene- 
trated to the head valley of Vasques' creek ; — being belated on my return 
by killing a very fat deer, I was forced to pass the night among the moun- 
tains, wiSiout even a robe or a blanket to screen me from the severities of a 
pitiless snow-storm tliat fell in the mean time. Strange as it mav seesoi, I 
•xperienced not the slightest ill effect in consequence. 
80 



350 



EARLY SPRING. 



On removing from my old hunting grounds, I halted at two or three df- 
ferent points still further south, upon small affluents of the Platte, and 
in the course of twenty- five days encamped a few miles below the exit of 
the main stream from the mountains, in an opening made by t)2e forced 
passage of a large creek into the prairie through a sharp line of iiills. 

The scenery in the vicinity of this camp was romantic, v/ild, and beauti- 
ful. The ridge thus bisected was about four hundred feet in heighth, and 
opposed to the creek vast mural cliffs of limestone and sandstone that 
formed a gateway nearly three hundred yards wide. It ranged paral- 
lel with the mountains, two miles or more removed from them, presenting 
to the prairie a gentle escarpment ornamented with scattering pines ana 
clothed at intervals with rank grasses of the preceding year's growth. 

On ascending to its summit you stand at the verge of a steep precipice, 
two hundred or more feet in descent, — as if tiie earth, opened by internal 
convulsions, had forced the right valve of its fissure to an unnatural posi- 
tion, and thns formed the elevation beneath you. 

This ridge extends for many miles, and overlooks a beautiful valley of 
remarkable fertility, fifteen miles in length by three in breadth, and inter- 
sected by numerous streams, more or -less timbered, that find their way 
from the mountain side. The valley is divided by a continuous ridge that 
runs parallel with its length, which is much the same in character with, 
though more di-iiinutive iii size than the one previously described. 

The huge masses of red granitic sandstone that tower to a surprising 
altitude, isolateti and in almost every conceivable form and shape, add 
vastly to the wildness of the place. The rock is quite friable and con- 
stantly yielding to the action of the weather, while tlie soil of the valley is of 
a ruddy color and gravelly nature as will be readily inferred from the above 
fact. 

This superfice is fertilized, not only from the debris of its rocks, but 
by the immense beds of gypsum contained in its hill-sides, which are itt- 
cessantly decomposing to enhance the general fecundity. Vegetation, of 
course, must attain a rank growth in such a soil, and, in favored spots, it 
remains green the entire year. 

All the difltirent varieties of wild fruits and game indigenous to the moun- 
tains are found here in great abundance. Among the timber of the creek 
bottom, I noticed hazel-bushes, old acquaintances of the States, which 
looked like messengers from a far off country, and reminded me of other 
scenes. 

There are few localities in the vicinity of the mountains better situated 
for a small settlement, or possessed of greater agricultural advantages thaa 
this. 

The prairie at the base of the first range of hills is quite saline in ita 
character ; and several small lakes of brackish v.'ater, and well stocked 
with almost numberless water-fowl, are seen at different points, the incrus- 
tations upon whose shores assume a snowy whiteness. Notwithstanding 
this, it possesses a good soil and is admirably adapted to the growth of 
•took. 

Feb. 26ih. The fresh grass upon the hill-sides has assumed a thrifty 
tppearance. Insects have begun to quit their winter retreats, and, coi»« 



ADVENTURE WITH A SHEEP. 861 



mingKnfif their shrill notes with the music of birds, hail the approaching 
spring. I was delighted to find in my rambles a cluster of wild-flowera 
in full bloom, shedding their fragrance to the breeze from a sweet, sunny 
spot among the hills, and I sat for a time to admire its new-born loveli- 
ness. 

One of my horses, having been for some time wasting under the effects 
of a disease peculiar to those animals, died this afternoon, — a loss which 
Bubjects me to no little inconvenience. It was a noble beast, and cost me 
■ixty dollars only four months since. 

Feb. 28lh, A light snow which fell yesterday night prevented me from 
leaving camp, but having shouldered my rifle early this morning, I ranged 
along the valley. The snow had entirely disappeared. Three buffi,lo 
bulls, alarmed at my approach, rushed down a steep hill-side, quartering 
towards me, at the height of their speed. Running to intercept them, 1 
shot as they passed, prostrating one at the instant. So great was the im- 
petuosity of his headway, the carcase was thrown to the very base of the 
descent, a distance of about three hundred yards ! 

The interest awakened by the picture of loveliness that greeted me two 
days previous, led again to the sweet spot among the rough hill-sides, — but, 
how changed ! The cruel frost had done his death^work— the " flowers 
had withered and the beauty thereof had fallen away." A tear to their 
memory, despite my eflTorts to restrain it. stole its way to the ground. 
Such was the fate of the first flower of spring ! What a prohfic theme 
for a melancholy fancy to brood upon, and, in its musings, catch the inspi- 
rations of poesy ! 

March 4th. The dull monotony of four days past has afforded nothing 
worthy of note. Spring is making rapid advances. To-day, however, an 
incident occurred, which, with suitable forethought, might have been turned 
to good account. Soon after leaving camp J encountered a band of sheep, 
and, despairing of a near approach, shot one of its number at a distance 
of nearly three hundred and fifty yards. The animal immediately fell, 
having been stunned by a neck wound, (*' creastd,'") but recovered as I 
reached it, barely aflbrding me time to grasp one of its legs. 

Here commenced a struggle, — the sheep to get free, and I to retain m^ 
hold. In the energy of its efforts 1 was dragged over the rocks for some 
two hundred yards, when,' having caught its fore-leg, I succeeded in 
throwing it, and unthinkingly despatched it with my butcher-kni ;e. I migh' 
have preserved it alive, as a rare and valuable addition to some zoological 
collection. My not having done so, I regretted the more, as it was a 
female and would have soon produced another of its species. 

March 1th. Having discovered a large band of deer in the prairie 
towards the Platte, early this morning I started to approach them. Being 
within the required distance, I was preparing to shoot, when, on glancing 
to the left, a party of horsemen met my view, advancing at full gallojfc. 
Their bare heads and fluttering robes at once announced them Indians. 

Here was a dilemma ! My first thought was to retire to tlie creek and 
tliere await them, under cover of the trees, — but tliis would convey an im 



^^ RSMARKA. 

pression of cowardice, a thing which uniformly receives ill treatment at 

the hands of Indians, while bravey commands their respect. I therefore 
resolved to stand my ground and fight it out, if necessary, let the conse- 
quences be what they would. So, after examining the condition of my 
firearms and making the suitable arrangements for an expected rencoun- 
ter, I calmly awaited their approach. My design was to shoot the fore- 
most when within proper distance, (first forbidding their advance,) then, 
having discharged my pistols at the two next, if not previously killed, to 
close in with the remainder, butcher-knife in liand. From hostile savages I 
expected no quarter, and was therefore determined to sell my life as dearly 
as possible. 

A nearer approach, however, changed my gloomy apprehensions into a 
transport of pleasure, as I recognized two old hunters from Fort Lancaster 
at their head,~the first of human beings, white or Indian, that I had seen 
for two months. Their gratification scarcely surpassed my own, they having 
long since supposed me murdered by prowling savages. 

Having camped the day previous about three miles distant witli the par- 
ty accompanying them, they were now in quest of buifalo. However, as 
it threatened to be unpleasant weather, an invitation to my camp was 
gladly accepted, where the choice stores my larder afforded, were dis- 
cussed with epicurean gusto. 

Yielding to their persuasions, in the afternoon I bid adieu to my lovely 
retreat and proceeded with them to their encampment upon the opposite 
side of the Platte, near the mouth of Crystal creek. 

Here a small party of whites from the Fort were occupied in building a 
boat, with which to descend tlie river. A Mexican woman, from Taos, the 
wife of an engage, honored the scene with her presence, as did also three 
squaws and two Indians. Commodious shantees had been erected for the 
accommodation of the men, which, together with a huge fire and a propor- 
tionate pile of meat, imparted an air of comfort to everything. 

Remaining here for a week or two, I then proceeded to the Fort, a dis- 
tance of about forty miles. The different trading companies were already 
en route for the States, having left several days previous. The thoughts of 
other lands, and more congenial associations, were now revived in all tlieir 
vividness. They filled my mind by day, and crowded my dreams by night. 
Eight years had already inter\^ened since the view of a distant home and 
much-loved childiiood scenes had last greeted me, nearly three of which 
had been parsed amid the dangers and vicissitudes of prairie and mountain 
life. Yet, I was at a loss to decide what to do. The object of my excur- 
sion had not been satisfactorily accomplished. I wished to visit the Pacific 
and familiarize myself more perfectly with several parts of Oregon ana 
California ; this would yet require a year, or even more. 

However, the subject now uppermost in my tlioughts influenced the d^ 
cision, and, bidding a present adieu to other plans, 1 made prompt arrange^ 
ments for returning to the States. These were soon completed, and on th« 
17th of March I commenced my journey. 

With the intermediate country from tlie Platte to Bent's Fort on the Ar- 
icansas the reader is already familiar ; and, as few incidents worthy of note 
occurred between these two points, I shall content myself with a mert 



A RARE CUSTOMER 



SdS 



ptBiiiig notice and hasten with becoming brevity to a conclusion of th« 
task in hand. 

The fourth day succeeding my departure I overtook a division of the 
caravan of moimtain traders, numbering ten men and three waggons, with 
which I proceeded to the Big Timber of the Arkansas, distant about two 
hundred miles southeast from Fort Lancaster. 

The country at tliis place, in the immediate vicinity of the river, is fertile 
and well timbered, but the prairies are slightly undulating, arid, and gener- 
ally unproductive. The prevailing rock is exhibited in abrupt chffs and 
bold escarpments from the hill-sides and banks of watercourses, and con- 
sists of various conglomerates, with limestone and sandstone ; the latter being 
very fine-grained and admirably suited to the preparing of edgetools. I 
noticed indications of coal in some parts, and the usual quantity of saKne 
efflorescences, particularly upon the south side of the river. 

On the 10th of April, the caravan being augmented by an accession of 
three other waggons and several men. we again resumed our journey, and, 
on the 28th inst, struck the Santa Fe trail near the Crossing of the Arkan- 
sas, one hundred and ten miles below the Big Timber. 

The geological character of the prairie and the river bottoms is much 
the same as tha,t previously described, with the exception of a general scar- 
city of rock ; though to the southward it is very sterile in appearance, and 
a continuous chain of hills, that in some places are mere knobs of naked 
sand entirely destitute of every semblance of vegetation, plainly points out 
the cheerless llanos of the Great American Desert. 

Below the Big Timber the rank growths of absinthe, which have been 
heretofore so prevalent, almost entirely disappear. 

The river gradually expands to the width of nearly two miles, forming 
several small islands, and scatters its waters in numerous chaimels, over 
beds of quicksand, so shallow and variable as to preclude the possibility 
of successful navigation. 

Timber becomes very scarce, — so much so, that in many places it is 
difficult to obtain a sufficiency even for the camp-fires of travellers. The 
bottoms are usually broad and fertile, but possess a highly saline cha- 
racter. 

One of the above, known as the Big Salt Bottom, is some forty miles 
in length and four or five miles broad. It contains frequent streams and 
pools of brackish water, with spots in which vegetation entirely gives 
place to thick coatings of mineral salts. 

Among the prairie hills I occasionally noticed extensive spreads com- 
pletely covered with a singular species of blue flower in full bloom, 
which imparted to the otherwise forbidding prospect an air of loveliness 
and beauty ; but, in glancing over the far-reaching landscape, I looked in 
▼ain for tlio floral attractions peculiar to mountain regions. 

A few n lies above the Crossing, an incident occarred which renewedly 
aroused my recollection of other lands. This was the appearance of a 
fine-looking coon, the first I had seen since leaving the States. These 
animals are strangers to the mountains, and were never before known te 
penetrate thus far westward. 
80* 



154 MEETING OF COMPANIES. 

In passing a village of Arapahos, near the Salt Bottom, v/e had con- 
siderable difficulty with them on account of ten or fifteen domesticates 
bufialo connected with the caravan. The Indians were highly exaspera« 
ted, and accused the whites of stealing their buffalo. They even armed 
them.selves to fight us, and were deterred from their purpose only by a large 
present of tobacco, but still threatened vengeance in case of a renewal of 
the offence. 

Soon after this we were joined by a young Arapaho Indian, named Fri 
day, who was desirous of visiting the States. He had formerly lived in 
St. Louis, where he had acquired a knowledge of the English language, 
and still maintains a reputation for honesty, intelligence, and sobriety. 
Hereafter I will have occasion to speak of him more particularly, in con- 
nection with his previous history. 

Resuming our course, we bore leftward from the river and struck into 
the high prairie. Late rains had rendered the ground muddy, and travel 
ling consequently became slow and tedious. 

The weather continued wet and disagreeable, in addition to which th»* 
unprecedented size and velocity of the streams caused us frequent deten 
tion. 

The trail, for four or five days, led over a number of timberless water 
courses, known as " the coon creeks," which subjected us to great incon 
venience in t^ie item of fuel, as neither tree nor stick could be procurer 
for cooking purposes, and bois de bache, the substitue of buffalo countries- 
had become so thoroughly saturated Vv ith water it was almost impossible tc 
ignite it. 

On the 23d of April, having arrived at Pawnee Fork, we were obhged 
to remain some four weeks before a ford could be effected, — but the dense 
bands of buffalo that thronged the vicinity abated somev/hat the annoyance 
of delay. 

The country, between the "Crossing" and Pawnee Fork, varies but 
little in its general character from that previously described, and exhibits a 
favorable contrast to the forbidding wastes of naked sand upon the oppo 
8ite side of the Arkansas. Although not absolutely sterile, it is not rich 
and suffers more from lack of moisture than any actual defect of soiL 
Its entire destitution of timber will prevent it from ever becoming inhab- 
ited to any great extent. 

Rock of all kinds is very scarce, and almost the only specimens preva^ 
lent are found in the pebbles and diminutive fragments which lie scattered 
over the prairie. 

During our stay we were joined by Messrs. Bent and St. Vrain, and 
three or four Spanish companies, which increased our caravan to fifty or 
more waggons and nearly one hundred men. 

With the former of the companies was a Chyenne chief, (Slim Face.) on 
hie way to Washington to solicit the U. S. Government to adopt some effect- 
ual means for the suppression of the sale of ardent spirits amor^ hig 
people. (A veiy laudable object, indeed.) 



PAWNEE ROCKS. 855 



Three or four Mexican ladies and several children (being the family of 
one of the Spanish traders, from Chihuahua) were also included with the 
new accession ; but the most noted personage among the whole was Old 
Spy Buck, the famous Shawnee war-chief, who had distinguished liimself 
as the leader of a small band of his countrymen in connection with Kirker 
and the Americans employed by the governments of Santa Fe and Chihu- 
ahua to fight the Apache and Navijo Indians. 

The old chieftain was on his return home, venerable in age and covere(? 
with scars, which gave indubitable evidence of the place he had occupied in 
the hour of danger. The history of his exploits would fill a volume far 
more interesting in its details than those of the proudest heroes of fiction. 

Pawnee Fork afibrded an inexhaustible supply of cat-fish, which were 
caught in great numbers by our party. I know of no other stream near, 
upon the Atlantic side of the mountains, where fish are found in any quan- 
tity or size worth naming. 

This creek heads at the eastern extremity of the " Divide," in the 
vicinity of the Smoky Hill branch of the Kansas, and by pursuing a south- 
ern course for about one hundred and fifty miles, finds its discharge in the 
xVrkansas. It is heavily timbered, and is known among the Indians as Otter 
creek, on account of the great number of those animals found upon it. 
The valley which skirts it is several miles broad, and very fertile, present- 
ing a large extent of excellent land, well adapted to cultivation. 

While here, I became acquainted with the salutary properties of gun- 
powder in an interesting case. My horse, having been bitten by a rattle- 
snake, was cured by the following simple process : The wound being 
shghtly creased immediately above and below, a small portion of powder 
was burnt upon it for four or five times in succession, which completely 
destroyed tlie efiects of the poison. I am informed by those who have 
repeatedly tried this remedy, that it has never been known to fail when 
promptly applied. 

On the 21st of May, we finally effected a crossing, and by the 24th haa 
reached Walnr.t creek, twenty miles distant, where high water again op- 
posed a present barrier to further progress. The bottoms were so com- 
pletely flooded that we were forced to occupy an adjoining eminence for a 
camp. 

This stream is heavily timbered, and derives its name from the abun- 
dance of black walnut found along its banks. Its valley is very similar to 
that of Pawnee Fork as regards size and fertility, while the country be- 
tween the tv/o is evidently possessed of a good soil. 

About twelve miles below Walnut creek, near the trail, is a huge and 
isolated mass of coarse sandstone, known as the Pawnee Rocks. This is 
a noted landmark, and, like Independence Rock elsewhere spoken of, la 
covered with the names of passers by, en route to and from the mountains 
and Mexican States. 

Here was a confused medley of cognomens, — English, French, Spanish, 
German, Irish, and Scotch,— all entered upon the register of fancied immor- 
tality; and h«re, too, as I glanced over the strange catalogue, a number of our 



FRIDAY. 



mbering a 



company were busily engaged in carving their own ; but rememl 
former resolution, I declined the honor of imitating their example. 

June I6th. More than three weeks have intervened since our arrival at 
Walnut creek, and still there is no present possibility of proceeding with 
the waggons. This continued delay is becoming extremely irksome, not- 
withstanding the countless thousands of buffalo which afford us an inex- 
haustible feast of " fat things." Time is precious and I must go on ; and 
there are several who would do likewise, but hesitate, — while frightful vis- 
ions of Pawnees and Osages disturb their midnight dreams and fluster 
their waking thoughts. Friday, the Arapaho, asks to accompany me ; — 
our arrangements are completed, and to-morrow we leave. 

June 11th. About noon, bidding adieu to vexatious liindiances, we 
started, and, after a short ride, forded the Arkansas above the mouth of Wal- 
nut creek, — ^thence, follov/ing the course of that river upon its opposite 
bank, we halted for the night in a broad sandy bottom, four or five miles be- 
low. 

The musquetoes here proved so troublesome to ourselves and animals, 
we were compelled to defend the former by means of a dense smoke and pro- 
tect the latter with a close envelope of robes. The next morning we re- 
crossed the Arkansas, and, striking the waggon road soon after near Plum 
Butte, continued our way to Cow creek. 

A few miles above this point the regular trail leaves the Arkansas upon 
the right, and, following a northwesterly course for about three hundred and 
fifty miles, strikes the States at Independence, Mo. 

The interval between Walnut and Cow creeks is generally sandy and 
somewhat tumulous, but is different in many respects from any other sec- 
tion previously noticed. The hills, adjacent to the river and near the 
trail, are coniform and not unfrequently naked piles of dry sand, while the 
hollows and depressions among them afford a humid soil, coated with rank 
vegetation 

Cow creek is a small stream with very steep, clayey banks, and is 
sparsely timbered. Its bottom is about four miles broad and of variable 
fertility, — doubtless susceptible of cultivation. 

On resuming our course we leave the buffalo region, a transition for wliich 
we are now fully prepared. Aware that this must shortly occur, I had sent 
Friday in advance with my rifle, who very soon prostrated three fine buUsj 
affording us a stock of most excellent beef from which to make our selec- 
tions. 

Few Indians or whites can compete with Friday as a buffalo-hunter 
either in the use of the bow or rifle. I have seen him kill five of these 
animals at a single chase, and am informed that he has not unfrequently 
exceeded that number. Conscious skill, in this respect, is the occasion 
of some little pride to its possessor. 

But it is not in hunting exploits alone that he excels; his deeds of war 
equally command the respect and admiration of his tribe, among whom he 
is known as the " Arapaho American." A brief sketch of his early life 
I have reserved for the succeeding chapter, which the reader may rely upoM 
«• strictly true. 



857 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Th» Arapaho American, a sketch of real life.— Tenets of the mountain IndiejM i« 
reference to a future state of rewards and punishments. — ^The " v/ater bull."— 
Country between Cow creek and Council Grove. Inviting locaUty for settle- 
ment. — Sudden rise of water.— Separate routes.— Dangerous travelling.— Osag« 
village. — Osages, and all about them.— Arrival at Van Buren, Arkansas.— Con- 
cluding remarks. 

Early in the year 1828, ere peace had been established betv^^een the 
whiles and the Arapahos, a large village of that tribe made its temporary 
encampment upon the waters of the Cimarone, in the vicinity of the 
Santa Fe trail. 

An opportunity so favorable for amusement was not suffered long to pass 
unimproved by the younger ones, and group after group of merry hoyM 
and girls were soon bescattered over the adjoining prairie, engaged in their 
innocent sports, — for of play all children possess an intuitive fondness, be 
they white, red, or black. 

Each successive day yielded its tribute to the routine of pleasure, as, true 
to the teachings of childish philosophy, they seized the enjoyments of the 
present, nor thought or cared for the future, — and thus far, it may be said, 
some men are but overgrown boys. 

Impelled by the restless spirit of their years, on an occasion, several 
frolicksome lads had wandered to an unusual distance from camp, and 
passed most of the day in a fruitless effort to catch prairie-dogs. 

At length, wearied with a bootless task, they set their faces homeward. 
Scarcely had they started, however, when the village made its appear- 
ance, bearing directly towards them ; whereupon the happy band, seat- 
ing themselves at the point of an eminence, awaited its approach, and 
soon mingled with their relatives, one after another, as they were dis- 
closed by the passing throng. 

In a short time a little boy, some six years old, alone remained — watch- 
ing with eager impatience the appearance of his father's lodge ; but still 
it came not. The crowd had passed and a solitary old man brought up 
the rear. On seeing the lone stripling, he enquired the cause of his 
delay. 

" My parests come not, and I await them," said the little fellow. 

"Haste you," replied the man ; " they have gone towards the sun-risinsf 
for a day's travel. Run quick, that you may join them." 

The lad promptly followed the old man's direction, and set off in pur* 
Buit. His route led over a long reach of dry sand-prairie, eastward of 
the Cimarone, which was entirely destitute of water, and socfi after cross- 
ing the creek a heavy wind obscured the trail, in addition to which the 
tln'ck clouds of dust, with fast-closing night and insufferable thirst, com- 
pelled him to tnm again to the Cimarone. 



a58 THE ARAPAHO AMERICAIf . 

Another attempt to reach the village the day following was unsucces&' 
fill, and each repeated effort proved equally unavailing. 

At length, weakened by hunger and suffering, he laid himself down t« 
die, in a grass plat by the creek side. 

Seven days of continued fasting which followed, left him so debilitated 
he could scarcely stand. His mind began to wander ; he thought himself a 
dweller of the Spirit Land and a ranger of the hunting ground of happ/ 
souls. 

Hio bewildered vision pictured the joyous chase, bounding along the 
celestial plains. Strange voices greeted his ear, and sounds broke upon 
die stillness of solitude. He gazes around, and sights still stranger close 
in upon him, — not visionary, but real. 

" It must be so," said he. " Here are tlie horses for me to ride, and 
tliere is the game for me to chase. But, what singular buffalo ! How 
long their horns, and how white ! — What strange colors, too ! — white, red, 
black, and mixed ! And, who are they ? — Ah ! the pale-faces ! They ap- 
proach ! What do they here ? — I cannot escape them !" Thereupon he 
found himself in the firm grasp of two white men, who cut short his solilo- 
quy by bearing him to their camp. 

His fancy, though illusive in its inception, had ended in sober reality 
The strange voices greeting his ear were those of his captors, who had 
just encamped near him ; the horses and singular buffalo exciting his won- 
der, were the horses and cattle of a caravan of Santa Fe traders ; and the 
f)ale-faces were two of the company, by the names of Fitzpatrick and Soub- 
et, by whom he was taken. 

They were on their return to the States, and, noticing a strange object in 
the vicinity of camp soon after their noon halt, approached to learn its 
character and found the little sufferer as above related. 

He had never before seen the whites, and, knowing them only from the 
representations of his people, they were associated in his boyish fancy with 
all that was hateful and wicked. But, instead of the cruel death he had 
supposed would be his certain allotment at their hands, they administered to 
his wants and plied him with kindnesses. Everything about him was so 
etrange, he could scarcely be convinced it was not a picture of the imagina- 
tion — that he was not yet dreaming of the- happy country, or actually initi- 
ated into its delightful mysteries. 

From the date of this event he was ushered into a new state of exist- 
ence, and soon acquired the language and habits of the whites. Taken to 
St. Louis, he remained there for seme five years, and received a partial ed- 
ucation during the interval. So complete was the transformation, he even 
forgot the name and language of his nation, and became an adept in the 
customs of civilized life. 

About the year 1832, Capt. Grant succeeded in effecting a treaty with 
the Arapahos, and pending its negotiation mention was made of a boy, said 
to have been lost upon the Cimarone several years previous, who was sup- 
posed to have fallen into the hands of a tradmg company, and for whose 
ransom a large number of horses was offered. 

It is needless to say our hero was the subject of this request, and, in or- 
der to conciliate their good will and place the new-formed treaty upon a 



RELIGIOUS TENETS OF MOUNTAIN TRIBES. 859 



permanent basis, word was forwarded to his benefactor, Fitzpatrick, inform- 
ing him of the circumstance. 

Friday, for this was the name by which the Indian youth had now be- 
come known, on hearing the proposal of his relatives, steadily refused com- 
pliance, declarini^ the whites to be his only relatives, and that with them he 
would hve and die. 

Subsequently, however, he was persuaded to accompany his guardian to 
the mountains, expecting shortly to revisit the States. Here his father and 
mother came forward to claim him as their long-lost son. 

But the lapse of seven years had served to eflace all the recollections of 
early childhood. Parents and friends were alike strangers to him ; he re- 
fused to own them, and recoiled from their advances. Their language 
grated upon his ear in a confused jargon of unknown sounds. His mother 
wept from mingled emotions of grief and joy, while his father and brothers 
pressed their mouths in unfeigned astonishment. Still his obstinacy was 
unyielding, and the united entreaties of relatives failed to exert upon him 
the least influence. 

At length, the arguments and advice of the fur traders induced him to 
visit the Arapahos village, where he was received with distinguished honor 
hy his relatives and nation. Every one hastened to pay him respect,-- 
while feast succeeded feast, and council succeeded councU, to welcome hia 
return, and the little boy, who, seven years before — lost amid the cheerless 
sands of the American Desert, and weakened by hunger and suflering — 
had lain down to die upon the bank of the Cimarone, now found himself 
suddenly made famous as the " Little Chief " of his tribe,—the « Arapaho 
American." 

Honor, whose potent spell exerts its influence upon older heads and 
more enlightened minds, gradually reconciled him to the rude mode of life 
his destiny seemed to mark out, and he again became identified with the 
associations of former years. r 

Still, however, he retains an undiminished attachment to the whites, and 
continues to merit and command their esteem. His character, for honesty, 
integrity, and sobriety, has as yet stood unimpeached. A chief by birth, 
he might assert a more prominent station among his people ; but he declines 
it, with the noble resolve : — " Until by my own achievements I have earned 
that honor, I shall never consent to become a chief; for certainly, then my 
people will listen to me !" 

The hero of the above sketch is now on his way to visit his friends iu 
St Louis for the second time, and is at present my only travelling com- 
panion. As such I find him agreeable and interesting. I am indebted to 
him for much valuable information relative to the habits and peculiarities 
of his own and various other Indian tribes, while his vast fund of ready 
anecdotes and amusing stories serves to beguile tiie weariness of camp 
hours. 

The religious peculiarities of the mountain tribes furnished us a theme 
for frequent conversation, inasmuch as their sentiments with regard to a 
future existence are strangely interesting in detail. Most of 3iem are 
firm behevers in the immortality of the soul, as well as the conditico of 
lewaros and punishments after death—thoujj^ some accredit the Himft)? 



*60 THE WATER BULL. 

Bodons of metamorphosis or metempsychosis, while yet a very few look 
for amiihilation. 

The majority, however, aver that the good, at death, after a long and 
tedious journey, reach a happy country, abundant in everything the heart 
can desire, or thought conceive of ; where, free from pain and sickness, and 
removed from every ill, they shall bask forever in the sunshine of perfect 
beatitude. 

To aid in this long journey, horses are occasionally sacrificed for the 
feeble and decrepit, (more generally squaws and aged warriors,) that, by 
mounting their disembodied chargers, the spirits of the deceased may gain a 
■peedy entrance within its confines and taste the joys of their eternal home. 

Of those adhering to difierent opinions, some believe in the transmission 
of souls from body to body through successive ages ; and others, that they 
become the spirits of either men or animals, according to tlie virtues or 
demerits of the departed. 

With regard to the final allotment of the wicked, their general theology 
consigns them to an interminable wandering over a desert waste, without 
purpose or rest, or even one moment's respite from their miseries, and sub- 
ject to all the bitter pangs of hunger, thirst, and nakedness ; and tormented 
with the sudden and intolerable extremities of heat and cold. The Scrip- 
turian here will not fail to recognize an obscure delineation of the world 
of woe, as portrayed in the sacred writings. 

The ideas of some few, on the other hand, transform tliese condemned 
spirits into wild beasts or reptiles, but more frequently into prairie-dogs, 
that, by penance and suflTering through a Icmg succession of years, they 
may atone for previous misdeeds. 

Many incidents of adventure related by Friday would doubtless interest 
the general reader, but space precludes their insertion. However, I cannot 
refuse place to the following, as afibrding to the curious a more special 
matter of speculation. 

"On my return from an expedition against the Utahs," said he, "in 
crossing the mountain chain south of Long's Peak, I went in advance of 
the main party. 

** My course led over one of the highest points of the range, whose 
summit disclosed a level surface of considerable extent. While passing 
leisurely along, the crowing of a mountain fowl, a tihort distance to the 
right, caught my ear. (There are fowls in some parts of the mountains 
similar to those raised by the whites, — but they are very wild and shy.) 
Following the sound, I was led to the verge of a small lake, with steep 
banks of rock, and sat down by it, in hopes of discovering the object of 
my curiosity. 

"While here, my attention was directed to a strange movement in the 
lake-waters, accompanied by a loud noise and turmoil ; soon after which 
a large creature arose from the middle and swam to the shore, where he 
•tood upon a rock in full view. His looks frightened me. In size he 
was equal to the largest buffalo, and much like one of those animals in 
form -, he was black, with a singularly shaped head, and had tusks in* 
ftead of horns, which curved downward. 

* Ht ItokMJ 10 terrible I harried away as q<uick as povsibl«, sad rt- 



BEPARATE ROUTES. 861 

kted my adventure on rejoining the party. The old men laughed at my 
tzpreunons of wonder — asserting that they had before seen such creaturei 
in the high mountain-lakes, and called them ' water bulls.* " 

Reiuming our course, we travelled by easy stages for five succeeding 
days, which brought us to Council Grove, a noted place of rendezvous 
for Santa Fe companies. 

The intervening country from Cow creek exhibits an entire change in 
its geological character. The landscape is gently undulating, and fui> 
rowed by frequent watercourses. Timber is becoming more abundant. 
The soil appears humid, and presents an air of general fertility. The 
grasses also differ in their species and assume a lusty growth. 

The sand-hills which had before skirted the Arkansas, as the traveller 
advances, lose their naked deformity amid dense groves of timber, and 
finally disappear in the distance* 

There is throughout a marked scarcity of game common to the grand 
prairies, and everything denotes an approach to the frontiers of civiliza- 
tion. 

Council Grove is a stream of considerable magnitude, tributary to the 
Oaage river, and, by the Santa Fe trail, is one hundred and forty-four miles 
west of Independence. Its bottoms are broad, fertile, and well timbered 
with heavy forests of oak, walnut, maple, and most other varieties of 
wood indigenous to the States. 

The country in its vicinity is highly interesting to the agriculturist, 
and presents a soil remarkable for its fertility, inviting the hand of indus- 
try to a rich reward. 

Here, too, all the varied products of the farmer might find a ready cash 
market, from the numerous mountain and Spanish companies that con- 
stantly pass and repass, and, doubtlessly, at commanding prices. This 
locality, in fact, being situated upon the very verge of the grand prairie, 
aflfords a most eligible point for a settlement, and will doubtless soon ac- 
quire a merited importance as the place of general out-fit and supply for 
the western and southwestern trade. 

Through the agency of Friday I became acquainted with the existence 
of a vegetable found in these parts, which is known as the prairie-potata 
This attains a size almost equalling our common potato. It is of a rough, 
knotty appearance, somewhat oviform, and when cooked is dry and 
sweet tasted. It is found generally in the banks of watercourses, and 
produces a low ground-vine, not dissimilar to a species of that vegetable 
usual to warm climates. 

We were detained here for five or six days, by a continuous rain 
which raised the creek to an extraordinary height,— overflowing its banks 
and completely flooding its extensive bottoms. So sudden was the rise 
that we were compelled to move camp three times in the course of aa 
hour, and were finally driven to an adjoining hill. 



Improving the first interval of fair weather presenting itself, I 

to my Indian companion md renewed my jovney alone, m mt 

2i ^, - < 



862 crmJKED INDIANS. 

routes led in different directions, his for Independence, Mo., and mine foi 
Van Buren, Ark. Following the course of the creek by its right bank for 
some twenty miles, I then struck over to the Neosho, and, continuing on, 
^16 fourth day subsequent I reached the Osage village 

The country passed in travelling this distance, presented much excellent 
land. The creek valleys were broad and heavily timbered, and the adjoin- 
ing prairies undulating and clothed with luxuriant vegetation. The streams 
v/ere so swollen I was forced to swim most of them, which rendered my 
progress one continued scene of toilsome and perilous adventure. 

My stay at the Osage village was prolonged for two days, during which 
time I was kindly entertained by a chief who served as my host. 

The Osages number between four and five thousand souls, and inhabit 
fhe section of country bordering upon the Neosho river. Their territory 
is well timbered, abundantly watered, and remarkably fertile. 

In dress and appearance these Indians assimilate the Pawnees and Caws ; 
but their dwellings are neater and more spacious, being constructed of wa- 
ter-flags fastened to frame-works of poles, so ingeniously thatched and 
tightly interwoven as to prevent the ingress of either wind or rain. 

This tribe are beginning to make advances in civilization, and devote 
some little attention to agriculture. A farmer and blacksmith are furnish- 
ed them by the U. S. Government, while the philanthropic efforts of the 
*\merican Board of Missions are directed to their amelioration with consid- 
erable success. 

On resuming my course, a branch of the Neosho which intercepted it 
proved unfordable, and its passage was otherwise rendered particularly dan- 
gerous on account of the swiftness of its current. However, my landlord, 
on seeing my determination to cross at all hazards, procured two large 
pieces of raw hide, which were firmly sewn together in boat shape and 
held to their proper position by slender boughs ; these he conveyed to the 
stream, and desired me to put my baggage into them, remarking that 
there was " plenty room " for myself, too. Following his directions, the 
frail bark was soon launched and towed to the opposite shore by a son of 
the old man, who swam across for that purpose, while his brother, leading 
my mule after him, plunged into the current, and in a few moments every- 
thing was safely landed. 

To rew^ard this generous act I presented the old chief with a blanket, 
and bade him remember that " Good acts pay a sure tribute to a good 
heart, for they nourish its possessor with happy thoughts ; very often, too, 
they yield a twofold return by the gratitude of the one upon whom such 
acts are bestowed ; and then, again, sometimes the practiser is more than 
blessed by the acceptance of such presents as the grateful one may chance 
to offer. So, let my brother always do good, and the Good Spirit will own 
him as a subject well worthy of his special blessing." 

Bidding the friendly natives adieu, I mounted my mule and hurried on- 
ward. My course led through the territory occupied by a division of the 
Shawnees, and that settled by the Quapaws and Cherokees. These tribei 
ire partially civilized ; but the Cherokees are iisuther advanced in refine 



CONCLUSION. M« 



ment than any other Indian nation I am acquainted with. In fact, they are 
bettftr educated, better Hvers, and a better people than their immediate 
white neighbors upon the frontiers of Arkansas and Missouri. 

Late in tlie afternoon of July 4th I reached Van Buren, my point of des- 
tination, happy again to mingle amid scenes and associations from which I 
had been so long separated ; and here I would take leave of the readei, 
provided I have been so honored as to command his interest and attention 
thus far. If the preceding pages have added aught to his stock of useful 
information, or served to while away a leisure hour agreeably, the object 
which primarily influenced their publication will have been accomplished,—- 
if contrariwise, it remains for me to beg pardon for the trespass I have ubp 
decgnedly committed upon his time and patience. 



